Answer:
I believe they should have offered land.
Explanation:
Sadly this never happened in the United States but I believe that land would have been a better choice because at the time of the Emancipation Proclamation land would have had more value for them. At the time how were they going to be able to provide for themselves with Jim Crow laws and sharecropping so prevalent in the South. Land would have made the community much more independent and able to advance the social ladder.