Question

Why did many freed African Americans live near the plantations where they used to be enslaved and work for their former slave owners?

Answer 1

Most of them had no were else to go

Answer 2

After emancipation, many slaves remained in the same plantations where they worked before, and even worked for the people who previously owned them. This was due to a combination of various factors. On the one hand, many slaves did not have the skills to enter any other line of work. Also, many slaves had friends, family or other attachments that encouraged them to remain in the places they considered their homes. Finally, the government did not have a concrete and comprehensive plan that allowed them to integrate into society, which meant that they often had no other alternative but to remain where they were before.