Ongoing armed conflicts in 2018; updated September 2024. Major wars, 10,000 or more deaths in current or past year
Wars, 1,000–9,999 deaths in current or past year
Minor conflicts, 100–999 deaths in current or past year
Skirmishes and clashes, fewer than 100 deaths in current or past year
This is a list of conflicts in North America . This list includes all present-day countries starting northward first from Northern America (Canada , Greenland , and the United States of America ), southward to Middle America (Aridoamerica , Oasisamerica , and Mesoamerica in Mexico ; and Central America over Panama , Belize , Costa Rica , El Salvador , Guatemala , Honduras , and Nicaragua ), and eastward to the Caribbean (Cuba , Haiti , Jamaica , Grenada , Saint Martin , the Dominican Republic , and the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago ). Conflicts are also arranged chronologically starting from the Pre-Columbian era (the Lithic , Archaic , Formative , Classic , Post-Classic , and Colonial periods/stages of North America and Mesoamerica ; c. 18000 BCE – c. 1821 CE ) up to the post-colonial period (c. 1821 CE – Present[update] ). This list includes any raid , strike , skirmish , siege , sacking , and/or battle (land , naval , and air ) that occurred on the territories of what may today be referred to as falling within any of the aforementioned modern nations; however, in which the conflict itself may have only been part of an operation of a campaign in a theater of a greater war (e.g. any and/or all border , undeclared , colonial , proxy , liberation , global , Indian wars, etc.). There may also be periods of violent, civil unrest listed; such as, shootouts , spree killings , massacres , terrorist attacks , coups , assassinations , regicides , riots , rebellions , revolutions , and civil wars (as well as wars of succession and/or independence ). The list might also contain episodes of human sacrifice , mass suicide , and ethnic cleansing /genocide .
Territorial evolution of North America of non-native nation states from 1750 to 2008. As a British Colony Bermuda served as a staging point for Great Britain during the American Revolution and War of 1812 . During the Battle of the Atlantic the island served as an allied airbase for Anti-submarine warfare submarine hunters. NATO also used Bermuda as a base during the Cold War .
This includes all conflicts that have taken place within the modern territory of the United States.
See also
Puerto Rico is geographically located within the Caribbean ; however, because Puerto Rico territory of the United States the island's conflicts are listed here.
This includes all known conflicts that occurred within the territory of the United States of America prior to European exploration .
This list covers all wars regarding Native Americans and First Nations within the 49 continental states of the United States (does not include territories) and the 10 provinces and 3 territories of Canada. This includes conflicts fought between American Indian and First Nation tribes and wars against encroachment from European Colonial Powers or the United States and Canada . Generally American Indian Wars classifies all conflicts for Native Americans and First Nations between 1540 and 1924 however this list also includes 20th century incidents on Indian Reservations.
Hernando De Soto 's expedition through the Southeast United States was the first major conflict between Europeans and Native Americans in the U.S. Thousands of natives were killed by the expedition, and the majority of the expedition including De Soto did not survive the journey.
The Battle of Little Bighorn near the Little Bighorn river in the state a Montana . A confederation of Lakatoa and allied tribes defeated the U.S. 7th Cavalry Regiment. Part of the Great Sioux War which was an ultimately a victory of the U.S. Government. Painting is The Custer Fight by Charles Marion Russell.
The Burning of Jamestown, Virginia by Bacon's Rebellion . Common Indentured Servants and African Slaves fought together against the government of Colonial Virginia . The Rebellion's failure caused a hardening of racial lines in Colonial English America. This covers all conflicts in the 1600s that occurred between rival European Colonial Powers, or between Colonists and their Colonial Administration. This section does not include conflicts regarding Native Americans.
This covers all conflicts in the 1700s that occurred between rival European Colonial Powers, or between the early United States against European Colonial Powers. Many of the wars in this period were extensions of wars from continental Europe . This section does not include conflicts regarding Native Americans.
*1754–1763 The French and Indian War
Battle of Fort Oswego fought in Oswego, New York part of the French an Indian War . An alliance of French and Native American tribes defeated a British assault. New France enjoyed strong relations with Natives in the Great Lakes Region . Despite early French victories British supremacy on the sea assured victory in the overall war. Drawing by J.Walker Was fought within both Canada and the United States
May 28, 1754 Battle of Jumonville Glen
July 3, 1754 Battle of Fort Necessity
June 16, 1755 Battle of Fort Beauséjour
July 9, 1755 Braddock Expedition
1755 Battle of Lake George
April 18, 1756 Battle of Great Cacapon
August, 1756 Battle of Fort Oswego
September 8, 1756 Kittanning Expedition
January 21, 1757 Battle on Snowshoes
July 26, 1757 Battle of Sabbath Day Point
August 9, 1757 Battle of Fort William Henry
March 23, 1758 Battle on Snowshoes
July 27, 1758 Battle of Louisburg
August, 1758 Battle of Fort Frontenac
July 8, 1758 Battle of Carillon
September 14, 1758 Battle of Fort Duquesne
October 12, 1758 Battle of Fort Ligonier
November 25, 1758 Forbes Expedition
1759 Battle of Ticonderoga
1759 Battle of Fort Niagara
July 31, 1759 Battle of Beauport
1762 Battle of Signal Hill 1775–1783 American Revolutionary War
The first of four engravings of the Battle of Lexington and Concord by Amos Doolittle from 1775. Doolittle visited the battle sites and interviewed soldiers and witnesses. Contains controversial elements, possibly inaccuracies. Fire from the militia may have occurred but is not depicted. April 19, 1775 Battle of Lexington and Concord
April 20, 1775 – March 17, 1776 Siege of Boston
May 10, 1775 Capture of Fort Ticonderoga
June 11–12, 1775 Battle of Machias
June 17, 1775 Battle of Bunker Hill
August 8, 1775 Battle of Gloucester
August 23 – November 3, 1775 Siege of Fort St. Jean
September 24, 1775 Battle of Longue-Pointe
November 14, 1775 Battle of Kemp's Landing
November 28 – December 9, 1775 Battle of Great Bridge
February 27, 1776 Battle of Moore's Creek Bridge
March 2–4, 1776 Fortification of Dorchester Heights
March 2–3, 1776 Battle of the Rice Boats
May 15–26, 1776 Battle of the Cedars
June 8, 1776 Battle of Trois-Rivières
August 27, 1776 Battle of Long Island
September 15, 1776 Landing at Kip's Bay
September 16, 1776 Battle of Harlem Heights
October 11, 1776 Battle of Valcour Bay
October 28, 1776 Battle of White Plains
December 26, 1776 Battle of Trenton
January 3, 1777 Battle of Princeton
July 5–6, 1777 Siege of Fort Ticonderoga
August 6, 1777 Battle of Oriskany
August 16, 1777 Battle of Bennington
September 11, 1777 Battle of Brandywine
September 19, 1777 Battle of Freeman's Farm
October 2, 1777 Battle of Germantown
October 7, 1777 Battle of Bemis Heights
October 17, 1777 Battle of Saratoga
May 25, 1778 Battle of Freetown
June 28, 1778 Battle of Monmouth
June 30, 1778 Battle of Alligator Bridge
July 27, 1778 First Battle of Ushant
August 29, 1778 Battle of Rhode Island
February 23–25, 1779 Battle of Vincennes
July 16, 1779 Battle of Stony Point
July 24 – August 12, 1779 Penobscot Expedition
August 29, 1779 Battle of Newtown
October 9, 1779 Siege of Savannah
January 16, 1780 Battle of Cape St. Vincent
March 29, 1780 Siege of Charleston
August 8, 1780 Battle of Piqua
August 16, 1780 Battle of Camden
October 7, 1780 Battle of King's Mountain
January 17, 1781 Battle of Cowpens
March 15, 1781 Battle of Guilford Court House Siege of Yorktown in Yorktown, Virginia was the deciding battle of the American Revolutionary War and among the largest North American Battles of the 18th century. America's independence was recognized in 1783. Painting by Eugene Lami This covers all conflicts in the 1800s that occurred between the governments of North America that took place within the modern territory of the United States of America and conflicts between North American and European states. This does not include conflicts regarding Native Americans.
*1812–1814 War of 1812
*1835–1836 Texas Revolution
October 2, 1835 Battle of Gonzales
October 10, 1835 Battle of Goliad
November 4, 1835 Battle of Lipantitlán
October 28, 1835 Battle of Concepción
November 26, 1835 Grass Fight
October 12 – December 11, 1835 Siege of Béxar
February 27, 1836 Battle of San Patricio
March 2, 1836 Battle of Agua Dulce
February 23 – March 6, 1836 Battle of the Alamo
March 12–15, 1836 Battle of Refugio
March 19–20, 1836 Battle of Coleto
April 21, 1836 Battle of San Jacinto *1846–1848 Mexican–American War
*1861–1865 American Civil War
February 11–16, 1862 Battle of Fort Donelson
April 6–7, 1862 Battle of Shiloh
August 28–30, 1862 Second Battle of Bull Run
September 17, 1862 Battle of Antietam
December 31, 1862 – January 2, 1863 Battle of Stones River
April 30 – May 6, 1863 Battle of Chancellorsville
July 1–3, 1863 Battle of Gettysburg
July 13–16, 1863 New York City draft riots
September 19–20, 1863 Battle of Chickamauga
May 5–7, 1864 Battle of the Wilderness
May 8–21, 1864 Battle of Spotsylvania Court House
April 7, 1864 Battle of Appomattox Court House
November 15, 1864 - December 21, 1865 Sherman's March to the Sea
June 9, 1864 - March 25, 1865 Siege of Petersburg
1865–1866 Fenian Raids
1878 Lincoln County War
1881 Gunfight at the O.K. Corral
1887-1894 Hatfield-McCoy Feud
1892 Homestead Strike This covers all conflicts and terrorist attacks in the 1900s that occurred within the modern territory of the United States of America . This also includes attacks upon the United States from Eurasian powers.
The Navy radio station at Dutch Harbor burning after the Japanese Attack, 4 June 1942 According to Japanese intelligence, the nearest field for land-based American aircraft was at Fort Morrow AAF on Kodiak , more than 600 miles (970 km) away, and Dutch Harbor was a sitting duck for the strong Japanese fleet, carrying out a coordinated operation with a fleet that was to capture Midway Island . The Dutch Harbor attack was part of the Aleutian Islands Campaign . October 16, 1940 – May 21, 1941 Machita Incident
December 7, 1941 Attack on Pearl Harbor (Not in North America)
February 23, 1942 Bombardment of Ellwood
February 24–25, 1942 Battle of Los Angeles
June 3, 1942 – August 15, 1943 Battle of the Aleutian Islands
June 21, 1942 Bombardment of Fort Stevens
July 27, 1942 Lordsburg Killings
September 9–29, 1942 Lookout Air Raids
May 30, 1943 Zoot Suit Riots
August 14, 1944 Fort Lawton Riot
March 12, 1945 Santa Fe Riot
April 16, – September 17, 1945 Project Hula
July 8, 1945 Midnight Massacre
May 2–4, 1946 Battle of Alcatraz
August 1–3 Battle of Athens (1946)
August 11–17, 1965 Watts Rebellion
July 23–27, 1967 1967 Detroit riot
May 4, 1970 Kent State shootings
September 9, 1971 Attica Prison riot
May 13, 1985 MOVE bombing in Philadelphia
April 29, 1992 Los Angeles riots
August 21–31, 1992 Ruby Ridge standoff
February 28 – April 19, 1993 Waco siege
April 11–21, 1993 Lucasville Prison Riot
April 19, 1995 Oklahoma City bombing
February 28, 1997 North Hollywood shootout
March 19 – 20, 1997 Heaven's Gate mass suicide This includes domestic conflicts and terrorist attacks that took place within the United States. Note that actions of terrorism and domestic conflict are distinguished from one another.
Map depicting the Maya area within the larger Mesoamerican region. View full size for details. 537 – 838 Tikal-Calakmul wars
circa 1250–1325 Conflict between the city-states of Tizaapan and Culhuacán ending with the Mexica driven away from Tizaapan to form Tenochtitlan in Lake Texcoco in 1325
circa 1325–1426 Conflict between the alliance of Tenochtitlan and Azcapotzalco against the city-state of Texcoco , ending in victory for the Tepanec empire
1376–1395 Acamapichtli , the first tlatoani of Tenochtitlan , sent expeditions to fight for Azcapotzalco against various city states, notably Chalco , Cuahnahuac, Xochimilco
1396–1417 Huitzilihuitl , the second tlatoani of Tenochtitlan , assisted in the conquest and sacking of the cities of Tultitlan , Cuauhtitlan , Chalco , Tollantzingo, Xaltocan , Otompa and Acolman
1418 Tezozomoc 's war with Ixtlilxochitl I of Texcoco
1426 Tepanec Civil War
1480 – 1510 Saltpeter War
1428–1521 Formation and expansion of the Aztec Triple Alliance .
The maximal extent of the Aztec Empire, according to María del Carmen Solanes Carraro and Enrique Vela Ramírez. Development of Spanish American Independence Government under traditional Spanish law
Loyal to Supreme Central Junta or Cortes
American junta or insurrection movement
Independent state declared or established
Height of French control of the Peninsula
1898–1934 Banana Wars
September 19, 1912 Battle of Masaya
October 3–4, 1912 Battle of Coyotepe Hill
May 16, 1927 Battle of La Paz Centro
July 16, 1927 Battle of Ocotal
July 25, 1927 Battle of San Fernando
July 27, 1927 Battle of Santa Clara
September 19, 1927 Battle of Telpaneca
October 9, 1927 Battle of Sapotillal
January 1, 1928 Battle of Las Cruces
February 27–28, 1928 Battle of El Bramadero
May 13–14, 1928 Battle of La Flor
December 31, 1930 Battle of Achuapa
September 16, 1932 Battle of Agua Carta
December 26, 1932 Battle of El Sauce
1926–1927 Nicaraguan civil war
1960–1996 Central American crisis
2014–present 2014–2020 Nicaraguan protests
All conflicts which occurred on the islands in the Caribbean Sea are listed here. US Territories such as Puerto Rico and the US Virgin Islands are exceptions to this rule as they included in the United States' Section.
1524–1530 Guamá led a rebellion against Spanish rule in Cuba
1568–1648 Eighty Years' War
October 10, 1868 – 1878 Ten Years' War
April 25 – August 12, 1898 Spanish–American War
April 25, 1898 Action of 25 April 1898
May 8, 1898 First Battle of Cárdenas
May 11, 1898 Battle of Cárdenas
May 11, 1898 Battle of Cienfuegos
June 6–10, 1898 Battle of Guantánamo Bay
June 13, 1898 Action of 13 June 1898
June 24, 1898 Battle of Las Guasimas
June 30, 1898 First Battle of Manzanillo
June 30, 1898 Battle of Tayacoba
July 1, 1898 Battle of the Aguadores
July 1, 1898 Battle of El Caney
July 1, 1898 Battle of San Juan Hill
July 1, 1898 Second Battle of Manzanillo
July 3, 1898 Battle of Santiago de Cuba
July 3–17, 1898 Siege of Santiago
July 18, 1898 Third Battle of Manzanillo
July 21, 1898 Battle of Nipe Bay
July 23, 1898 Battle of Rio Manimani
1898–1934 Banana Wars
1906–1909 United States occupation of Cuba
1912 Negro Rebellion
1917–1922 Sugar Intervention
1953 1952 Cuban coup d'état
1953–1959 Cuban Revolutionary War
1959-1965 Escambray Rebellion
April 17–19, 1961 Bay of Pigs Invasion
October 16–29, 1962 Cuban Missile Crisis
1994 Maleconazo
2021 – present 2021 Cuban protests Political evolution of Central America and the Caribbean
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