Prior to the end of the slave trade and widespread abolition, when indigenous labour was unavailable, slaves were often imported to the Americas, first by the Spanish Empire, and later by the Dutch, French and British.

Prior to 1882, the coastal portions of French Guinea were part of the French colony of Senegal.

Prior to the Gatling gun, the only weapons available to militaries capable of firing many projectiles in a short space of time were mass-firing volley weapons like the French Reffye mitrailleuse in 1870 – 71, or field cannons firing canister, much like a very large shotgun.

Prior to independence, the French establishment and Catholic Church feared Opangault's radicalism and favored the rise of Fulbert Youlou, a former priest.

Prior to the dissolution of the Sainte-Chapelle in 1803, following the French Revolution, the term " la Sainte-Chapelle royale " also referred not only to the building but to the chapelle itself, the Sainte-Chapelle ( choir ).

Prior to the French Revolution Saumur was the capital of the Sénéchaussée de Saumur, a bailiwick, that existed until 1793.

Prior to ascending the throne, he was a leader of the royal army in the French Wars of Religion against the Huguenots, and took part in the victories over them at Battle of Jarnac and Battle of Moncontour.

Prior to the Louisiana Purchase in 1803, the only persons who came to the area were a few French and Spanish settlers.

Prior to the French Canadian settlers, indigenous peoples known as the Mississippian culture and earlier cultures had been living in the region for more than a thousand years.

* French Fleur-De-Lis: Prior to the French Revolution, there was no national flag which represented France.

Prior to the French and Indian War, a French trading post and block house was located on the site of the future village.

Prior to 1758, the French and Indian War had gone very poorly for the British, whose military met few of its objectives.

Prior to the phylloxera epidemic, the insect plague which devastated French vineyards in the 19th century, these interspersed cuttings were transported to Chile where the field blends are still common today.

Prior to the July 1956 general elections in the Gold Coast, a plebiscite was conducted under United Nations ( UN ) auspices to decide the future disposition of British Togoland and French Togoland.

Prior to the escalation of World War II to the Pacific and East Asia, the Japanese planners regarded it as self-evident that the conquests secured in Japan's earlier wars with Russia ( South Sakhalin and the Kwantung Leased Territory ), Germany ( the South Pacific Mandate ) and China ( Manchuria ) would be retained, as well as Korea ( Chōsen ), Taiwan ( Formosa ), the recently seized additional portions of China and occupied French Indochina.

( Prior to starting as 44, Victor French had a brief guest role in the season-one episode " Too Many Chiefs " as Smart's Mutual Insurance agent.

Prior to 1939 Mohaupt had demonstrated his invention to British and French ordnance authorities.

Prior to breaking up with Pete Doherty, Moss co-wrote four songs on Babyshambles ' second album Shotter's Nation —" You Talk ", " French Dog Blues ", " Baddie's Boogie ", and " Deft Left Hand ".

Prior to the advent of the American School, the scope of Comparative Literature in the West was typically limited to the literatures of Western Europe and Anglo-America, predominantly literature in English, German and French literature, with occasional forays into Italian literature ( primarily for Dante ) and Spanish literature ( primarily for Cervantes ).

Prior to 1974, Quebec had no official language and was subject only to the requirements on the use of English and French contained in Article 133 of the British North America Act, 1867.

Prior to the Revolution, New Englanders consumed large quantities of rum and beer, as maritime trade provided them relatively easy access to the goods needed to produce these items: Rum was the distilled spirit of choice, as the main ingredient, molasses, was readily available from trade with the West Indies.

Prior to the triumph of the Cuban Revolution, Cuba maintained strong economic and political ties to the United States.

Prior to the Glorious Revolution of 1688, English judges were seen as " lions under the throne ", servile creatures of the King.

Prior to the Jasmine Revolution, Tunisia practiced internet censorship against popular websites such as YouTube.

Prior to the disbanding of The Revolution, Prince was working on two separate projects, The Revolution album Dream Factory and a solo effort, Camille.

Prior to the American Revolution, this area was part of the territory of the Onondaga ( tribe ).

Prior to the industrial revolution, most iron was obtained from widely available goethite or bog ore, for example during the American Revolution and the Napoleonic wars.

Prior to the Islamic Revolution of Iran in 1979, Ferdowsi University had taken for its ally Georgetown University of Washington, D. C., USA.

Prior to the Industrial Revolution, coal and limestone were worked only on a modest scale for local consumption, but during the Industrial Revolution by the opening of canals, such as the Birmingham Canal Navigations, Stourbridge Canal and the Dudley Canal ( the Dudley Canal Line No 1 and the Dudley Tunnel ) opened up the mineral wealth of the area to exploitation.

Prior to its engagement in World War I, the Empire of Japan fought in two significant wars after its establishment following the Meiji Revolution.

Prior to the Quiet Revolution, the province's natural resources were mainly developed by foreign investors.

Prior to the American Revolution, Chew was friends with both George Washington and John Adams, and was a strong advocate for the colonies.

Prior to the American Revolution, some people had concerns about Methodist evangelism in the colonies that took no heed of established Anglican parishes.

Prior to the extensive division of labor and mechanization resulting from the Industrial Revolution, it was possible for workers to control the quality of their own products.

Prior to the American Revolution, in 1772, during a political meeting at the Warren's home, they formed the Committees of Correspondence along with Samuel Adams.

Prior to the war, France had been outraged over US trade with Britain and the refusal to repay war debts from the Revolution on grounds that they were owed to the French crown, not Revolutionary France.

Prior to the Islamic Revolution many political organizations including but not limited to Fadaian Khalg and People's Mujahedin of Iran active members and supporters were among students of the Sharif University.

Prior to the American Revolution, all of the British North American colonies had slavery, but the Revolutionary War gave impetus to a general anti-slavery sentiment.

Prior to the Russian Revolution, the Lezgins did not have a common self-designation as an ethnic group.

Prior to 1789 it was part of Chester County.

Prior to his term as a representative, he served as a Justice on the Court of Common Pleas and the orphan's court in Kingston, Pennsylvania from 1780 to 1789.

Prior to American Revolutionary War, he was a delegate to all conventions for securing independence, and was a member of the committee that drew up the Declaration of Rights of January 7, 1789.

Prior to the French Revolution of 1789, French kings did not take a strong position on the language spoken by their subjects.

Prior to becoming governor, he served in the New Hampshire state legislature from 1789 to 1802 and twice as Sheriff of Hillsborough County, from 1809 to 1812 and later from 1818 to 1827.