Despite Queen Victoria's promise in 1858 that…

Despite Queen Victoria's promise in 1858 that all subjects under the British crown will be treated equally under the law, the revolt leaves a legacy of mistrust between the ruler and the ruled.

In the ensuing years, the British will often assume a posture of racial arrogance as "sahibs" who strive to remain aloof from "native contamination."

This attitude will perhaps be best captured in Rudyard Kipling's lament that Englishmen are destined to "take up the white man's burden."