These utterances by America's prominent statesmen represent a longstanding tradition of thought called “exceptionalism.” According to this tradition of thought, the United States has always been different from other countries. Unlike European nations, it lacks a feudal past. Born of an anticolonial revolution against a monarchy, it clings interminably to egalitarian, democratic, and liberal ideals. Because of this unique history and national character, the United States has never been an empire, nor could it ever be. George W. Bush's claim that America is “the only great power in history that had the chance [to be an empire] and refused” is one expression among many of this exceptionalist theme. Traditional scholarship on American foreign policy has espoused the same idea, consciously avoiding terms like “imperialism” or “empire,” and instead using terms like “diplomacy.” “One of the central themes of American historiography,” observed the historian William A. Williams in 1955, “is that there is no American empire.”