The US also had a practical reason for disliking traditional imperialism. By the time the US became substantial enough for real international trade, vast swath

The US also had a practical reason for disliking traditional imperialism. By the time the US became substantial enough for real international trade, vast swathes of the planet were under other nation's empires leaving fewer trading partners than could be desired. Commodore Perry's somewhat invasive trip to Japan was to try and add a few trading partners from unclaimed nations. So I suppose it's not too surprising that the colonies gained in the pointless glory seeking of the Spanish American war led to a bit of schizophrenia.