Juneteenth merch is American consumerism at its most crass

In November 1855, Elizabeth Keckley made an extraordinary purchase: her freedom.

After spending years supporting her enslaver and his family by making dresses for the wealthy women of St. Louis, Keckley finally asked him how much it would cost to secure freedom for herself and her son. He reluctantly set the price at $1,200 (nearly $40,000 today). After several more years of supporting the enslaver’s family — a tumultuous time that included his death, the transfer of his estate to a new enslaver, and Keckley’s marriage to a man she...