Abstract

This thesis explores the subject of contraband alcohol and governmental control in eighteenth-century New France. As the colony developed, so did the alcohol regulations and French judicial system. Priority in enforcing the laws shifted from religious influence to the necessity of asserting authority in the colonial setting. Over the years, concessions were made to meet the growing demand of alcohol among the Aboriginal population but consumption of brandy remained prohibited. As this work will show, regular citizens actively defied the alcohol laws and provided First Nations people with brandy and were subsequently brought to court.

The growing concern of excessive drinking in the colony and rise of illicit sale and trade of alcohol to First Nations people led to a shift in focus for the governing body to prosecute and make an example of those found guilty. Select case studies not only paint a picture of those accused but also highlight the uneven application of the law during this period, and of the agency of Indigenous people in criminal proceedings.