Arc of Justice

Arc of Justice

by

Kevin Boyle

Teachers and parents! Our Teacher Edition on Arc of Justice makes teaching easy.
John Fletcher is a Black waiter living in Detroit who buys a house in an all-white neighborhood in the summer of 1925. When he attempts to move his family in, a white mob storms the house. Fletcher shots a rifle out of an upstairs window, injuring a man on the street below. Still, a judge dismisses the charges brought against him on the grounds of self-defense.
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John Fletcher Character Timeline in Arc of Justice

The timeline below shows where the character John Fletcher appears in Arc of Justice. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.
Chapter 5: White Houses
Prejudice, Segregation, and Society Theme Icon
Justice and Civil Rights Theme Icon
Self-Defense, Race, and Ownership Theme Icon
Progress and Social Change Theme Icon
Two weeks later and a few blocks away, John Fletcher moves his Black family into a new house. As they sit down to dinner, a... (full context)
Prejudice, Segregation, and Society Theme Icon
Self-Defense, Race, and Ownership Theme Icon
Turner, Fletcher, Mathies, and their families all flee. Bristol remains, but he faces daily death threats. The... (full context)
Prejudice, Segregation, and Society Theme Icon
Justice and Civil Rights Theme Icon
Self-Defense, Race, and Ownership Theme Icon
...Ku Klux Klan poses a very real threat: just days after the attack on John Fletcher, they host a rally attended by 10,000 people. But mayor John Smith refuses their attempts... (full context)
Chapter 7: Freedmen, Sons of God, Americans
Prejudice, Segregation, and Society Theme Icon
...attention. But Johnson pays attention, especially to Detroit, where Alexander Turner, Vollington Bristol, and the Fletcher family have recently faced violent expulsion from their homes. Johnson plans to visit Detroit later... (full context)
Chapter 8: The Prodigal Son
Justice and Civil Rights Theme Icon
Self-Defense, Race, and Ownership Theme Icon
...into the night’s events; Perry, Rowlette, and Mahoney explain the context of the Mathies, Bristol, Fletcher, and Turner cases. Arthur Garfield Hays and his legal team plan the defense’s legal strategy,... (full context)
Chapter 9: Prejudice
Prejudice, Segregation, and Society Theme Icon
Justice and Civil Rights Theme Icon
The American Dream Theme Icon
...summer of 1925—squarely on Ossian’s shoulders. The defense’s witnesses corroborate this account: among others, John Fletcher, Vollington Bristol, and Edward Carter speak to the volatile situation in Detroit; Serena Rochelle and... (full context)