Military and naval conflict dominated the 18th century. France, Spain, and Great Britain were aggressors in nearly constant warfare that often extended into North America. Spain established a fledgling colony near what is now the Pensacola Naval Air Station in 1698. In 1719, the French from Louisiana drove out the Spanish colonists and established their own short-lived settlement. Spain retook the area in 1722, placing a new colony first on Santa Rosa Island and eventually in what is now downtown Pensacola.

Following the end of the French and Indian War in 1763, Florida and Pensacola fell under British control for nearly twenty years. Seeing an opportunity to retake its colony, Spain supported the American Revolution and General Bernardo de Gálvez attacked Pensacola in 1781, ousting the British. Pensacola was home to many colonial European groups throughout the 18th century. These people depended on the resources of Pensacola Bay, as well as the maritime route to the world beyond.