Mitchell v. United States was a landmark legal case in Black history that took place in 1951. It involved a group of African American servicemen who challenged their convictions for refusing to obey a direct order during World War II.

The case centered around the refusal of 168 African American soldiers, known as the "Port Chicago 50," to continue loading ammunition onto ships at the Port Chicago Naval Magazine in California. The men cited unsafe working conditions and segregation within the military as reasons for their refusal.

The men were charged with mutiny and faced harsh punishments, including imprisonment and dishonorable discharges. Thurgood Marshall, who later became the first African American Supreme Court Justice, and other civil rights lawyers took up the case and argued that the convictions were unjust and racially motivated.

The Supreme Court eventually overturned the convictions in 1951, ruling that the men had been improperly charged with mutiny and that their refusal to work under unsafe conditions was not a criminal act. The case was a significant victory for civil rights and highlighted the challenges faced by African American service members during a time of segregation and discrimination in the military.