Peter Salem was born enslaved in 1750 in Framingham, MA. At age 25, Salem was purchased by Major Buckminster of Framingham’s Minute Men, who emancipated Salem and gave him a place in his military company because General George Washington had barred enslaved men from serving in the Continental Army. Peter Salem was one of at least a dozen Black Minute Men who  fought in battles at Lexington and Concord. Salem also served in Colonel John Nixon’s 5th Massachusetts Regiment and fought at the Battle of Bunker Hill. Salem was also a member of the 6th Massachusetts Regiment.

After the Revolutionary War, Peter Salem moved to Salem, MA. He married Katy Benson and built his own home near Leicester, MA., where he worked as a cane and chair weaver. He eventually passed away in 1816 while living in a Framingham poorhouse. However, he was finally given the recognition he deserved by the townspeople of Framingham in 1882 when they erected a monument in honor of his service. Additionally, his house in Leicester was declared a historical monument by the Daughters of the American Revolution.