Annotated Bibliography
The Manson Family, consisting of over one hundred people, spent much of their time in California’s Spahn Ranch. There they worshipped Charles Manson truly believing that he was Jesus Christ reincarnated. At one point Manson wanted the family to do more for him than just simple worship, he wanted them to kill. The most famous of these murders are the Tate-LaBianca murders. There were more murders that were less publicized including Gary Hinman and Donald Shea.
At first glance, these murders seem to have n motivation whatsoever, especially because Charles Manson did not physically murder anybody. After close analysis, several motivations have been connected to the Tate-LaBianca murders. The most prominent of these motivations centers on the idea of ‘Helter Skelter.’ Manson believed that this was a war that would be like “all the wars that have ever been fought, piled on top of each other.”
These murders were never truly connected to the Manson Family until member Susan Atkins confessed her part in killing Sharon Tate while already in prison for stealing a car. After this confession, the whole case unfolded. Charles Manson and the other family members involved in the murder were sentenced to life in prison.
This website was excellent for my blog because it gave a very brief overview of the Manson Family and the Tate-LaBianca murders. I was able to use all of the information provided without having too much information. Based on other information I have researched on my topic, this website is unbiased. The information is the same as written by the primary account ‘Helter Skelter’ proving the reliability of the source. The website succeeded in relaying the basic information relating to the Tate- LaBianca murders and trial.
Robinson, B.A. “Destructive Cults: The Family; Charles Manson” Ontario Consultants of
Religious Tolerance. 7 April 2008. 5 December 2011.
http://www.religioustolerance.org/dc_charl.htm
This website offers Charles Manson’s interpretation of the Bible. This is important because Manson used the Bible to justify murder. It explains how Manson saw himself as the fifth angel referred to in a specific passage of Revelations. This website is excellent because it has the actual text of the bible side by side Manson’s interpretation. I used this website the highlight Manson’s twisted view of the Bible , and how he used it to justify murder.
Linder, Douglas. “The Trial of Charles Manson.” University of Missouri-Kansas City. 2008.
3 December 2011. http://law2.umkc.edu/faculty/projects/ftrials/manson/manson.html
This article gives an account mainly on family member Susan Atkins and where she is today. The main purpose I used this article, however, was to document that Charles Manson will be up for parole in just a short year. This is just a small post on my blog but I feel it adds to the story and keeps it current.
Netter, Sarah. “Dying Manson Murderer Denied Release.” ABCNews. 2 September 2009. 7
December 2011. http://abcnews.go.com/US/charles-manson-follower-susan-atkins-parole-die-home/story?id=8462901
I used this article to write the section ‘Helter Skelter’ in my blog. It explains how Manson believed that The Beatles were warning him of a race war. It also explains how Manson planned to avoid death during the war, and he eventually devised a plan to become ruler of the new world. This article states mainly all of the facts with few personal opinions within it. There are many direct quotes from Manson, himself, showing the unbiased nature of the article.
Whitehead, John W. “Charles Manson’s Race War: the Beatles and Helter Skelter.” Huffington
Post. 3 August 2009. 4 December 2011. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/john-w-whitehead/charles-mansons-race-war_b_249914.html
This next source talked mainly about the Manson family. I used this sight simply for a quote from one of the family members that was provided. The website is set up in small sections describing certain aspects of the family and discussing in detail some of the more prominent members such as Charles ‘Tex’ Watson. The information was clearly unbiased as it was similar to that of my other research. What I found most interesting about this sight was the quotes from actual family members.
“Family Values Manson Style.” Crime Archives. 2009. 1 December 2011.
My next source was a Diane Sawyer interview with two of the Manson women who took part in the murders and with Charles Manson himself several years after the trial. This interview helped me get into the mindset of these people now and when they committed their heinous crimes. While the two women feel remorse later in life, Manson is still psychotic and showing no remorse. This firsthand account obviously contains some bias simply because the women and Manson are subjective to their acts and only know their point of view on the situation, but the information was extremely helpful and made me more aware of their ideas and thoughts.
“The Manson Women: Inside the Manson Murders”. ABC News 20/20. American
Broadcasting Company. 1994
Another source I used was the 1976documentary drama, Helter Skelter. It of course was a dramatization of actual events, but since it relied solely on the firsthand account of the murder and trials Helter Skelter, it was an excellent source. It was narrated by attorney, Vincent Bugliosi. It provided me with more than just research on the topic, but an actual dramatization of the events so I could see them as they unfolded.
Helter Skelter. Dir. Tom Gries. Perf. George DiCenzo, Steve Railsback.
Warner Bros., 1976
