The Port Chicago 50: Disaster, Mutiny, and the Fight for Civil Rights

Sheinkin illustrates the story of the Port Chicago 50 with photographs of the historic events he describes. What effect do these photographs have on the reader, and how do they impact one’s understanding of the narrative?

Sheinkin frequently quotes from oral histories of the sailors. Write an essay considering why he opted to use this strategy as a historian and how oral histories allow him to construct his narrative.

Compare and contrast the lives of Thurgood Marshall and Joe Small. How do their childhood encounters with racism influence the ways in which they understand and fight against discrimination?

While Joe Small receives the focus of Sheinkin’s history, anecdotes from numerous other members of the Port Chicago 50 appear throughout the book. Choose three of the other sailors, and contrast their differing motivations and understandings of the events at Port Chicago.

Does Sheinkin write in a voice typical of history books? What choices is Sheinkin making in the tone of his writing, and how do they allow him to better narrate the story of the Port Chicago 50?

Sheinkin writes that his “goal with this book was to tell the Port Chicago story largely from the point of view of the participants—the young sailors” (171). How would Sheinkin’s history have differed if he told it from the point of view of a different group, such as the white Naval officers?

Many of the white Naval officers openly admit to holding racist beliefs about the inferiority of black people. How do such beliefs impact the policies the officers implement at Port Chicago?

Sheinkin argues that the actions of the Port Chicago sailors push the Navy towards desegregation. Do you agree with Sheinkin’s historical argument? Why or why not?