History Main / InvadedStatesOfAmerica

* Robert Conroy's AlternateHistory novel ''1901'' concerns a relatively limited invasion of the Northeast in the titular year by the forces of [[ImperialGermany Kaiser Wilhelm II]]. The Kaiser's objective here is not to conquer the United States outright, but to force the U.S. to turn over its newly-won colonial possessions of Puerto Rico and the Philippines by essentially holding New York City and surrounding areas for ransom. He also intended to confiscate the U.S. Navy, which America ''wouldn't need'' once it had no overseas territory. Unfortunately (for the Germans), the Kaiser didn't reckon with TheodoreRoosevelt...

It should be noted that in all these instances there was no serious intention of trying to permanently conquer mainland American territory. The British weren't really focused on the US in 1812 because they had Napoleonic France to deal with and they considered (and still consider) it a sideshow (it is also worth noting that the USA had invaded British Canada first). The South was where nearly all the fighting in the Civil War was taking place, and General Lee figured if he could defeat the Union on Northern turf the Northern public and Congress would push for a peace settlement and grant the South independence. Pancho Villa's army was so starved of supplies that he was willing to trespass into the US to get them. The invasion of the Aleutians was mainly to deny the US the opportunity to use them as bases.

* ''TheMouseThatRoared'': The Duchy of Grand Fenwick declares war on the U.S. with the intent of losing immediately and raking in the reparation money. So they send over a small army in Medieval armor and spears, expecting to surrender upon reaching American soil. [[SpringtimeForHitler It doesn't quite work out that way.]]

** ''Battlefield: Bad Company 2'' (in a different canon from the above) has many levels set in Alaska and [[spoiler: ends with a massive Russian invasion of the US.]]

[[caption-width-right:304:[[WebcomicScandinaviaandtheWorld America's Hat]] no more.]]

[[caption-width-right:304:America's Hat no more.]]

It should be noted that in all these instances there was no serious intention of trying to permanently conquer mainland American territory. The British weren't really focused on the US in 1812 because they had Napoleonic France to deal with and they considered (and still consider) it a sideshow. The South was where nearly all the fighting in the Civil War was taking place, and General Lee figured if he could defeat the Union on Northern turf the Northern public and Congress would push for a peace settlement and grant the South independence. Pancho Villa's army was so starved of supplies that he was willing to trespass into the US to get them. The invasion of the Aleutians was mainly to deny the US the opportunity to use them as bases.

*** Not so, actually. Don't forget about Canada, which is also huge a (in [[LargeAndInCharge both]] senses of the word) US ally. And Mexico probably wouldn't take kindly to an invader on their neighbor's doorstep either (nor would the drug kingpins take kindly to the invaders screwing with a major market of theirs). Any invasion from the Atlantic is utterly doomed to failure (NATO, Britain especially), and any invasion from the Pacific has to go through Japan and Australia first. In other words, so utterly impossible logistically, you'd have to resort to means that would provoke a nuclear response. At least Russia has a major vulnerability through Europe, meaning that invasion is logistically possible, at least, compared to having to secure an extremely long supply route across the entire Pacific (an Atlantic invasion is completely out of the cards). Even with a beachhead secured in the West Coast, they'd be vulnerable to attack from all sides from multiple nations with far superior logistical support. But yes, invading Russia is also an exercise in impossibility.
**** Not impossible. The methods needed to conquer and pacify such vast territory as America or Russia are just simply unacceptable to the modern mindset and social mores. No 'people' or 'nation' is impossible to break, or if need be, outright eradicated.

* ''ModernWarfare'': The second game in the series has several levels set in Northern Virgina and D.C. The third will feature battles in New York Harbor and Manhattan itself, as well as Paris, Berlin and London.

-->"You cannot invade the mainland United States. There would be a rifle behind each blade of grass." '''(Note that this quote may be a case of BeamMeUpScotty, as there is no record of him saying it, but regardless, it still makes a good point.)'''
-->"Should hostilities once break out between Japan and the United States, it is not enough that we take Guam and the Philippines, nor even Hawaii and San Francisco. We would have to march into Washington and sign the treaty in the White House. I wonder if our politicians (who speak so lightly of a Japanese-American war) have confidence as to the outcome and are prepared to make the necessary sacrifices?"

* ''FamilyGuy'': When Peter founded Petoria, he annexes Joe's pool (Johio).

*** Not so, actually. Don't forget about Canada, which is also huge, and a big US ally. And Mexico probably wouldn't take kindly to an invader on their neighbor's doorstep either (nor would the drug kingpins take kindly to the invaders screwing with a major market of theirs). Any invasion from the Atlantic is utterly doomed to failure (NATO, Britain especially), and any invasion from the Pacific has to go through Japan and Australia first. In other words, so utterly impossible logistically, you'd have to resort to means that would provoke a nuclear response. At least Russia has a major vulnerability through Europe, meaning that invasion is logistically possible, at least, compared to having to secure an extremely long supply route across the entire Pacific (an Atlantic invasion is completely out of the cards). Even with a beachhead secured in the West Coast, they'd be vulnerable to attack from all sides from multiple nations with far superior logistical support. But yes, invading Russia is also an exercise in impossibility.

* Eventual end result of the Soviets developing the atomic bomb first and dropping it on Berlin in the back story of ''FreedomFighters''.

*** Not so, actually. Don't forget about Canada, which is also huge, and a big US ally. And Mexico probably wouldn't take kindly to an invader on their neighbor's doorstep either (nor would the drug kingpins take kindly to the invaders screwing with a major market of theirs). Any invasion from the Atlantic is utterly doomed to failure (NATO, Britain especially, and Israel), and any invasion from the Pacific has to go through Japan and Australia first. In other words, so utterly impossible logistically, you'd have to resort to means that would provoke a nuclear response. At least Russia has a major vulnerability through Europe, meaning that invasion is logistically possible, at least, compared to having to secure an extremely long supply route across the entire Pacific (an Atlantic invasion is completely out of the cards). Even with a beachhead secured in the West Coast, they'd be vulnerable to attack from all sides from multiple nations with far superior logistical support. But yes, invading Russia is also an exercise in impossibility.

It should be noted that in all these instances there was no serious intention of trying to permanently conquer mainland American territory. The British weren't really focused on the US in 1812 because they had Napoleonic France to deal with and they considered (and still consider) it a sideshow. The South was where nearly all the fighting in the Civil War was taking place, and General Lee figured if he could defeat the Union on Northern turf the Northern public and Congress would push for a peace settlement and grant the South independence. Pancho Villa's army was so starved of supplies that he was willing to trespass into the US to get them. And the Japanese invasion of the Aleutians was chiefly a diversionary tactic to try to draw US attention away from the IJN's main target of crippling the US Pacific Fleet and extend Japanese dominance in the Pacific.

* To date, there have been four attempted invasions of the United States. The first and most successful one was by the British during the WarOf1812, which saw the burning of WashingtonDC. The second was by [[TheAmericanCivilWar the Confederate States of America]], when Robert E. Lee led his army into Maryland and Pennsylvania (or alternately the Northern invasion of the South which has continued to this day). The third time was during the MexicanRevolution, when Pancho Villa led a raid on the border town of Columbus, New Mexico. The fourth and final attempt was by ImperialJapan during WorldWarII, who seized some of the Aleutian Islands in {{Alaska}} as well as numerous American possessions in the Pacific (Guam, the Philippines). In modern times, the mainland United States has never come under direct invasion.
** It should be noted that in all these instances there was no serious intention of trying to permanently conquer mainland American territory. The British weren't really focused on the US in 1812 because they had Napoleonic France to deal with and they considered (and still consider) it a sideshow. The South was where nearly all the fighting in the Civil War was taking place, and General Lee figured if he could defeat the Union on Northern turf the Northern public and Congress would push for a peace settlement and grant the South independence. Pancho Villa's army was so starved of supplies that he was willing to trespass into the US to get them. And the Japanese invasion of the Aleutians was chiefly a diversionary tactic to try to draw US attention away from the IJN's main target of crippling the US Pacific Fleet and extend Japanese dominance in the Pacific.

* Along with much of the above, there's also the fact that the United States is a vast, urbanized, geographically diverse country flanked by two major oceans and superior interior lines. Above all else, any potential invasion is a logistical nightmare for anybody trying to attempt it, even without the world's (arguably) most powerful military able to bear down rapidly from land, sea, and air at any time. In other words: Invading the continental United States would be ''slightly'' more forgiving than invading Russia. ''Slightly.''
** Not so, actually. Don't forget about Canada, which is also huge, and a big US ally. And Mexico probably wouldn't take kindly to an invader on their neighbor's doorstep either (nor would the drug kingpins take kindly to the invaders screwing with a major market of theirs). Any invasion from the Atlantic is utterly doomed to failure (NATO, Britain especially, and Israel), and any invasion from the Pacific has to go through Japan and Australia first. In other words, so utterly impossible logistically, you'd have to resort to means that would provoke a nuclear response. At least Russia has a major vulnerability through Europe, meaning that invasion is logistically possible, at least, compared to having to secure an extremely long supply route across the entire Pacific (an Atlantic invasion is completely out of the cards). Even with a beachhead secured in the West Coast, they'd be vulnerable to attack from all sides from multiple nations with far superior logistical support. But yes, invading Russia is also an exercise in impossibility.
* At the end of the 19th century, the German General Staff drew up [[http://europeanhistory.about.com/library/weekly/aa050902a.htm a planned invasion of the US eastern seaboard]]. (See the entry on ''1901'' in "Literature" above.)

The background of the invasion usually varies on when the work is set. If it is set pre-1991, it is usually a Cold War that stopped being so cold, or some other form of AlternateHistory, such as Imperial Japan or Nazi Germany making it to America. TwentyMinutesIntoTheFuture will sometimes depict a dystopian US that has become so weak that other nations can now safely take shots at the States. An alternate version features the US still a superpower, or at least with some strength, but is no longer the biggest kid on the block, and other nations are able to attack it without fear of being overwhelmed by America's military might. NextSundayAD settings will usually be very similar to the second possibility with Twenty Minutes. Surprisingly, the US's nuclear arsenal almost never gets employed during these stories, despite [[CriticalResearchFailure one of its main purposes]] [[hottip:*: Though, for the record, for a country to even ''threaten'' to use nukes constitutes a war crime--though when a country is threatened with massive invasion by a force that will commit many war crimes against its citizens...]].

Note that the trope only counts for ''human'' invasions on US soil, not alien invasions.

* ''BattlefieldSeries'': The ''Armored Fury'' booster pack for ''Battlefield 2'' depicted maps set in Alaska and Pennsylvania as US forces defended their homeland against Chinese and Middle Eastern Collation Forces. ''Bad Company 2'' has several multiplayer maps set in Alaska, and [[spoiler: the ending depicts Russian forces advancing on the northern border of the US.]] ''Battlefield 3'' is said to have maps set in New York, while the campaign has it coming under attack by hostile forces.

* ''SteelBattalion: Heavy Armor'' starts off with an invasion of Manhattan in 2080, though it is not yet clear as to exactly what other nation is invading.[[/folder]]

The background of the invasion usually varies on when the work is set. If it is set pre-1991, it is usually a Cold War that stopped being so cold, or some other form of AlternateHistory, such as Imperial Japan or Nazi Germany making it to America. TwentyMinutesIntoTheFuture will sometimes depict a dystopian US that has become so weak that other nations can now safely take shots at the States. An alternate version features the US still a superpower, or at least with some strength, but is no longer the biggest kid on the block, and other nations are able to attack it without fear of being overwhelmed by America's military might. NextSundayAD settings will usually be very similar to the second possibility with Twenty Minutes. Surprisingly, the US's nuclear arsenal almost never gets employed during these stories, despite [[CriticalResearchFailure one of its main purposes]] [[hottip:*: Though, for the record, for a country to even ''threaten'' to use nukes constitutes a war crime]].

If done right, can make for an interesting plot. However, can also be {{Anvilicious}} if it makes too many references to any actual invasion either current or historical by the US.

* ''BattlefieldSeries'': The ''Armored Fury'' booster pack for ''Battlefield 2'' depicted maps set in Alaska and Pennsylvania as US forces defended their homeland against Chinese and Middle Eastern Collation Forces. ''Bad Company 2'' has several multiplayer maps set in Alaska, and [[spoiler: the ending depicts Russian forces advancing on the northern border of the US.]] ''Battlefield 3'' is said to have maps set in New York.
* ''ModernWarfare'': The second game in the series has several levels set in Northern Virgina and D.C. Teasers for the third entry have shown a battle in New York Harbor, as well as Paris, Berlin and London.

* Conversed in ''HotTubTimeMachine''. Blaine's gang thinks that the time traveling main characters are actually Soviet spies, due to their odd behavior, and the modern-day gadgets that he found in their bags. He mentions the film ''Red Dawn'', which he owns a poster of in his room.