Post 34–“Names and words and their connotations are a fascinating subject. It’s odd that so many former slaves took the surnames of the masters after the Civil War. You’d think those names would have been reviled too.”
It is fascinating. I’m still learning but have visited some plantations and tried to learn.
A lot of slaves didn’t go anywhere after being freed. Most didn’t have anywhere to go.
They were “hired” (for lack of a better term) by the plantation owner and were paid (minimally) for their work. There are many examples of “contracts” that were made in the aftermath of the civil war between owners and former slaves.
Taking the master’s surname (if it was a good one) was helpful in many ways. It was a record of who you worked for–like a resume.