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

Throughout the book, a recurring theme is how white Naval officers and black sailors have a different understanding of what constitutes discrimination. Write an essay discussing the ways in which one’s racial background impacts one’s ability to perceive racist structures.

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.