1756: The Seven Years’ War broke out among the major European powers, a conflict that transformed the political map of the colonial New World.

1756: The Seven Years’ War broke out among the major European powers, a conflict that transformed the political map of the colonial New World. As the principal victor, Great Britain gained a large share of French possessions in both North America and the Caribbean, including the sugar islands of Grenada and Dominica. The war and its associated naval raids often caused significant temporary declines in the volume of slaving voyages as shipping became high-risk. Following the 1763 peace treaty, the trade saw a major resurgence as the British expanded their now-enlarged imperial plantation complex.