1670s (Era): European colonizing nations began a concerted effort to rid the Caribbean of buccaneers, pirates, and other “masterless” fugitives who had taken…

1670s (Era): European colonizing nations began a concerted effort to rid the Caribbean of buccaneers, pirates, and other “masterless” fugitives who had taken refuge in the region. This offensive signaled a fundamental transformation of the West Indies from a haven for renegades into a system of settler colonies based on slave labor. The movement gained its initial irreversible momentum in Barbados before spreading throughout the Caribbean. As large enslavers gained the upper hand, the older frontier spaces began to disappear in favor of organized plantation structures.