How did the United States gain an oversea empire?

The US was never completely isolated from the rest of the world. Trade made the US an active member of world affairs. It was during the period of the 1890s that the US foreign policy became influenced by imperialism. During that decade, the US became the most important industrial power in the world. That meant we had to find markets and areas to obtain raw materials. Business was also looking at other areas in the world as potential customers for our products. The US military, especially the Navy, was growing and expanding in other areas of the world where we had not had the ability to go in force before. The war with Spain (1898) and the presidency of T. Roosevelt also made the US a major economic, military, and imperialistic power.