Salem Poor was a slave from Andover, Massachusetts. Salem Poor is a perfect example of race relations during the Revolutionary War era, as Poor was portrayed as a war hero, but did not receive the treatment he deserved. Historians say Poor is a forgotten hero because of his race. This raises the question of whether he would be a forgotten hero if he had been a white man, as many political figures built their reputations during the war. Salem Poor defied the stereotype of African Americans serving in small roles in the military, but was not rewarded for his efforts. While his peers praised Poor's courage in the battle, not much came of it in terms of race relations. The poor people fought for freedom, but were never able to enjoy this freedom after the war, because they received almost no economic benefits from the war, and in the end they die as poor and forgotten heroes of the war of independence. Salem Poor was an African American. slave who bought his freedom from his owner to fight in the Revolutionary War. There is no information on why Poor decided to buy his freedom despite being treated as a "family member." Salem Poor bought his freedom for 27 pounds, which was a large sum of money at the time. The poor married shortly after in 1771 and had a child born in late 1774. In 1775, the poor of Salem decided to leave their families to fight in the American Revolution. Andover records show that as early as 1765, Andover residents wanted to break away from oppressive British rule because of the taxes levied on those who lived in Andover. There are also records that Andover settlers passed a resolution banning the sale of imported British tea. Clearly, in Andover, there was a portion of the population that was clamoring for... middle of paper... them. African Americans like Salem Poor had to choose whether they wanted to rebel against the British or remain loyal to the crown. Colonists were reluctant to allow slaves to join the army because they feared slave rebellions. It was not until 1775 that Washington officially allowed slaves to enter the military. Salem Poor was able to join the army because he bought his freedom from his owner. The motivations of the poor for joining the army are not well known, except that Andover was on the whole an anti-British colony. The poor have fallen into the paradox of fighting for a freedom they could never enjoy. African Americans like Salem Poor must have felt that the settlers were acting hypercritically when fighting against an oppressive group that denied them rights while African Americans experienced the same oppressive conditions..