Following Christopher Columbus's establishment of permanent settlements in the Caribbean, the Spanish authorized expeditions for the discovery, conquest, and colonization of new territory.
The campaign culminated in the fall of Tenochtitlan, after a coalition force made up of conquistadors and indigenous tribes that rivaled the Aztecs, captured the city.
Indigenous resistance and conflicts against the authorities of the Viceroyalty of New Spain (present-day Central America and Mexico), and its succeeding governments continued to occur intermittently.
This indigenous conflict, collectively referred to as the Beaver Wars, was fought primarily over control of the North American fur trade.
By the beginning of the 18th century, the kingdoms of England, France, and Spain were the only remaining colonial powers on the North American mainland.
The war secured British predominance in Northern America, and saw the end of French-rule in New France.
Although the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars were largely confined to Europe, the North American continent also saw some action between its belligerents.
A direct consequence of the Haitian Revolution was the French invasion of Santo Domingo, a neighbouring Spanish colony in 1801.
In addition, the British invaded several French colonies in the West Indies, including Guadeloupe, and Martinique.
In addition to these campaigns, the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars was a contributing factor for a number of other conflicts on the continent.
The turmoil caused by Napoleon's invasion of Spain also led to the peaceful independence of the colony of Santo Domingo in 1821.
These military interventions, collectively referred to as the Banana Wars, were conducted to maintain American economic interests in the area.
The series of conflicts ended in 1934, with their withdrawal from Haiti, and the adoption of Good Neighbor policy by American President Franklin Roosevelt.
The Cristero War, from 1926 to 1929, was a widespread rebellion against the secularist, anti-Catholic and anti-clerical policies of the incumbent Mexican government.
From 1942 to 1943, American and Canadian forces were engaged in the Aleutian Islands Campaign, where they defended the Alaska Territory against Japanese incursion.
Following the Second World War, most countries in the Americas, including every country in Central America, Mexico, and the United States, signed the Inter-American Treaty of Reciprocal Assistance in 1947, a treaty that committed its signors to the doctrine of hemispheric defence.
Launched in response to the implementation of the North American Free Trade Agreement, the rebellion resulted in the San Andrés Accords, granting a number of rights, autonomy, and recognition for the indigenous population of Chiapas.