I was reading a bit about manumission laws in different states, and it got me wondering what the lives of freed slaves were like after manumission. In some states it was required for the to leave the state and in others they were allowed to stay.

What I'm asking is how freed slaves would go about establishing their lives. Was it typical for their former masters to give them supplies or were they typically on their own? How would they exit the states like Alabama when freed?