Arc of Justice- Residential Segregation The Arc of Justice depicts the struggles, injustices, and hatred experienced by ethnic minorities in the United States during early part of the 20th century. Throughout the book, author Kevin Boyle shows to us the violence and oppression endured by blacks as they strived towards success and racial equality. A key struggle for many African American families trying to improve their lifestyle and social status in northern American cities, was finding a place to live and raise their families. Those who dared to move from the cities’ black quarters into white neighborhoods faced fierce opposition from white supremacist groups and residents alike. An analysis of the Arc of Justice shows us that social, cultural, and economic forces challenged the African Americans’ fight against residential segregation. In his introduction to the book, Boyle paints the situation that black Americans faced in the 1910’s and early 1920’s. Looking to escape the prejudices, oppression, and low working wages of the south, many individuals looked to the North as a gateway to financial stability and independence. With the emergence of the steel and automobile industries, thousands upon thousands of black men and women were drawn into the northern cities of Chicago, Detroit, and New York by the opportunities to earn higher wages and provide for themselves. There they faced the reality of what their life would be like. Blacks were often restricted to living in overcrowded and unsanitary districts like New York’s Harlem, Chicago’s Black Belt, and Detroit’s Black Bottom. However not all Negros believed that they should be confined to living in these areas. In Detroit, many of the highly educated blacks belonging to the “Talented Tenth”, attempted to purchase homes in white neighborhoods. Their actions were met by responses of intimidation, lawlessness, and