How did the united states develop an overseas empire

It's not completely an empire overseas, but rather a very powerful network of trade throughout various countries in the world. You can really say that the country almost became an empire due to the fact that it has a huge military strength. However, thanks to the various methods of trading that the United States has when it comes to the industry, they were able to create a very large empire consisting of various investors and corporations. These deal with various countries in order to sustain the economic growth of the country, while at the same time benefiting the other countries.