Contents -- Introduction: Or, A Cautionary Tale of How the World Changed after 1776 -- 1. To Compel Acquiescence Or, How Federalism Replaced Empire with Umpire, 1648-1789 -- 2. Umpire Attacked Or, How the French Revolution Created the American Party System, 1789-1800 -- 3. Another Umpire than Arms Or, How Economic Sanctions Became a Tool of Foreign Relations, 1800-1815 -- 4. A Rowboat in the Wake of a Battleship Or, How America Flagged the Continent and Federal Power Triumphed, 1815-1865 -- 5. Territorial Expansion versus Saltwater Imperialism Or, How America Entered the Fray for Colonies, 1865-1920 -- 6. The Open Door and the First International Rules Or, How the United States Chose Another Way, 1900-1920 -- 7. War against War Or, How the Democracies Stumbled and the World Caught Fire, 1920-1939 -- 8. Up to the Neck and in to the Death Or, How America Became an Ally, 1939-1945 -- 9. The Buck Stops Here Or, How the United States Assumed the Burden of Preemptive Intervention, 1945-1947 -- 10. A Coercive Logic Or, How America Spread Freedom and Wealth and Compromised Its Ideals, 1947-1991 -- Conclusion: Good Calls, Bad Calls, and Rules in Flux Or, Who Wants to Be Ump? 1991-Present -- Notes -- Acknowledgments -- Index.