The European powers were eager for African territories because it presented the opportunity for obtaining resources they couldn't easily secure in Europe, as Europe lacked land that wasn't already claimed by nations with significant militaries or powerful allies. As Africa lacked nations with modern weapons, equipment, and organization, it was a relatively easy task to conquer or incorporate large swathes of land.

In North America during this time, the West has yet to be fully settled. Resources were widely available to the United States in its new territories and states, but simply needed to be tapped. Procuring more overseas territory was unnecessary with such a resource abundance.

Additionally, until 1917 and America's entry into World War One, isolationism was very much the prevailing ideology in American politics. While there were some American tendencies towards Imperialism such as the acquisition of the Philippines(and the Philippine-American War) and the US contribution to putting down the Boxer Rebellion, these were mainly aimed at securing American access to Asian markets alongside the powerful Old World empires. There was little support for becoming entangled in foreign wars or mingling with Europe's troubles