Questions and Answers
What was the typical demographic of the Manson Family members in the late 1960s?
Where did the Manson Family eventually settle in Los Angeles?
What were Manson Family members reportedly forbidden from doing at Spahn Ranch?
What did Lynette 'Squeaky' Fromme attempt to do in 1975?
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Who did Charles Manson become acquainted with through Dennis Wilson?
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Study Notes
Early Life and Institutionalization
- Charles Manson was born in 1934 to a teenage mother and spent his early childhood moving between relatives and institutions in the Midwest.
- He was considered institutionalized by authorities, and upon his 1967 release from a California prison, he asked to stay.
Move to California and Gathering Followers
- Manson moved to Berkeley and then San Francisco, where he accumulated a small group of followers, mostly women.
- He learned to play the guitar in prison and used his charisma and ability to tell people what they wanted to hear to gain followers.
Music Career and Connections
- In 1968, Manson and his followers moved to Los Angeles to pursue a music career, where he met Dennis Wilson, the drummer for the Beach Boys, and other music-industry players.
- Through Wilson, Manson gained connections to influential people in Los Angeles, including record producer Terry Melcher.
Manson Family and Control
- Manson exercised total control over the group, forbidding members from wearing eyeglasses or carrying money.
- He used his female followers to lure men to join the group and support it.
- Manson and the Family eventually settled at Spahn Ranch, where he dominated the group with lectures and instructions to take LSD.
Crimes and Trials
- Manson was put on trial for murder in 1969, although he didn't do any of the actual killing.
- Prosecutor Vincent Bugliosi argued that the Family did everything Manson ordered them to do, including murder.
Aftermath and Legacy
- Manson died in November 2017, after spending decades in prison.
- The "Manson girls" became a lasting image in the public's imagination, with some remaining loyal to Manson even after his sentencing.
- Lynette "Squeaky" Fromme, one of Manson's earliest followers, attempted to assassinate President Gerald Ford in 1975.
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Description
Learn about Charles Manson's childhood, his early marriages, and his life in institutions before he became a notorious cult leader. Discover how his early life shaped his future.
