craft a critical history of the object youve chosen. By critical I mean a history
focusing on questions of power and politics. What stories does this object and its surrounding materials seem to tell
about relationships of race, ethnicity, class, gender, sexuality, age, and/or ability, particularly in the time period
about which youre writing?
Please organize your essay around a compelling thesis statement. The thesis should be a single sentence appearing
within the first page of your paper. It should answer, clearly and concisely, the question highlighted above. Please
underline your thesis.