Question

At the end of Lizzie Bright and the Buckminster Boy, why does Reverend Buckminster side with the Phippsburg townspeople against the people of Malaga Island?

Mr. Stonecrop describes how much money the island people have taken from the Phippsburg townspeople.
The reverend finds out that Turner’s baseball bat and glove were left on the beach, not the front porch.
Mr. Stonecrop talks about the people in town who would support those on Malaga Island.
The reverend learns that Turner went to the island with Lizzie Griffin, an African American girl.

Answer 1

The correct answer is: The reverend learns that Turner went to the island with Lizzie Griffin, an African American girl.

Finding out his son had been spending time with Lizzie (and the implications of a mixed-race friendship in that community) — combined with Stonecrop’s manipulations and the pressure to protect his church and social standing — pushes Reverend Buckminster to side with the Phippsburg townspeople despite his earlier sympathy for Malaga.