How was the word picnic use in slavery?

Answer 1

During the times of slavery and even sometimes after that the word picnic was referred to as "pick a N*****". White people (not all) would have gatherings or "picnics" where they would pick random African American males and lynch them for their entertainment. While their families sometimes had to watch. They would usually only hang males because they knew African American men would lay down their lives to protect their families and as long as they were alive whites couldn't have total power over African Americans. Whites, (not all) where also fearful of strong black men and did everything they could to try and keep them beneath them that was the purpose of the lynching.

Note: Actually, all the research I've performed says that the word picnic is derived from the French word piquenique, which you can look up on this website - or just Google it. Unfortunately (and unimaginably) there were those that often celebrated lynchings by having a simultaneous event, much like a picnic. Although heinous, it does not mean that the word picnic derived from these horrific events.If someone has documented proof of the use of this word being associated with lynchings, please add to this answer. It would help provide validity to the original answer, since it is currently contradicted by much of the information available on the internet.

ANSWERI call BS on the first answer--cite your sources.

Answer 2

The correct answer is Yes and No. It is correct that the word originated in France pronounced and spelled Pic-nique, you can see it in any dictionary it's there. During slavery, it was used as a gathering for lynching and it wasn't just men that where lynched. It was polysemated and given this designation facetiously. MY Grandmother, who was also a slave, explained this to me my source is sited as -Mattie Christiansen.