AP United States History

Document Based Question Assignment

May 24, 2010

Rachel Brownell
Kasey Lim
 United States History
Section II
Part A
(Suggested writing time – 45 minutes)
Percent of Section II score – 45

Directions: The following question requires you to construct a coherent essay that integrates your
interpretation of Documents A-G and your knowledge of the period referred to in the question. High
scores will be earned only by essays that both cite key pieces of evidence from the documents and draw
on outside knowledge of the period.

1. America in the late 1960s and early 1970s saw the rise of cults as a social phenomenon. Discuss.

Document A

Source: Newsweek, April 29, 1974.

 Document B

Source: Peoples Temple Victims of Conspiracy Flyer, 1978.

 Document C

Source: K. Gordon Neufeld, Heartbreak and Rage: Ten Years Under Sun Myung Moon, 2002.

Document D

Source: Star News, January 22, 1979.

Elsewhere on Capitol Hill, Sen. Robert Dole, R-Kans, has invited his Senate colleagues to hear
a panel of experts on mind control testify at a special hearing on Feb. 5. The hearing, according to
persons involved in preparing for it, may be a prologue to an effort to establish a commission that
would look into whether religious cults are a destructive element in American society.
Such inquiries would be at variance not only with congressional tradition but also with the
long-standing position of the Carter administration, reiterated after the Guyana deaths, that because of
constitutional considerations the government would not embark on broad investigations of religious
groups.
 Document E

Source: Jim Jones, Instructions for October 1978, 1978.

…we have a perfect ground then to say we are going to the Soviet Union and the Soviet Union has
said they’ll take us…and the Soviets have promised us protection against any kind of an invasion or
an attempts on the part of reactionaries that would take over Guyana.

Document F

Source: Vincent Bugliosi, excerpt from Helter Skelter: The True Story of the Manson Murders,
December 5, 1969.

Q: “Was there any limit to what you would do for him?”…

A: “No.”
Q: “Did Charlie ask you to steal?”
A: “No, I took it upon myself. I was – we’d get programmed to do things.”
Q: “Programmed by Charlie?”
A: “By Charlie, but it’s hard for me to explain it so that you can see the way – the way I see. The
words that would come from Charlie’s mouth would not come from inside him, [they] would come
from what I call the Infinite.”
According to Susan, Charlie himself went under a variety of names, calling himself the Devil,
Satan, Soul.
Q: “Did Mr. Manson ever call himself Jesus?”
A: “He represented a Jesus Christ-like person to me.”

Document G

Source: Deborah Layton, excerpt from Seductive Poison: A Jonestown Survivor’s Story of Life and
Death in the People’s Temple, 1998.

A healer, socialist, and important civic leader could not possibly be an immoral abuser, a blackmailer,
a liar. It did not occur to me that Jim could be all those things. I thought that it must be extremely
painful for Father to sacrifice his own goodness for the larger cause, as he did when he committed – or
ordered us to commit – reprehensible and illegal acts. I saw his moral transgressions as purely
altruistic – something like the means justify the end. And who was I to criticize him? My own
development, I was told (and believed), was not advanced enough to allow me to understand Father’s
motives and actions. I could only hope to be enlightened by imitating his example and striving to
become wiser, more principled, and closer to him….
 Document A

This cover from 1974 edition of Newsweek illustrates the shocking transformation of Patty
Hearst, daughter of newspaper publisher William Randolph Hearst. She was allegedly kidnapped by the
Symbionese Liberation Army, a militant leftist group of the 1970s who led a controversial fight for
black revolution and a new world order--the student might tie this group to the more extreme and violent
phase of the fight for black rights. Media coverage of this event sensationalized first the kidnapping,
then the startling news of her active participation in the cult's activities. For a daughter of such a well-
known, well-off figure in society to have joined forces with a radical group was unheard of. Her
acceptance of the leftist lifestyle reveals the susceptibility of any American, especially the vulnerable
younger generation, to the promise of change for future equality and harmony, no matter how violent or
outrageous the methods. From this image, the student might mention the gun, Patty Hearst's body
language, the SLA symbol, and the fact that it is the cover of a widely-read magazine. Even though this
occurrence was viewed as a scandal, it shows how deeply cults had infiltrated the ranks of American
society by the 70s. After a period of elusion, Patty Hearst emerged during the Hibernia Bank robbery.
She claimed that she had been been drugged and brainwashed into assisting in the SLA's plan. Many
believed, though, that she had acted willingly because she had not tried to escape despite multiple
opportunities to do so. She was convicted and imprisoned for her involvement in the robbery. The
security camera footage from the crime captured this iconic image of an alarmingly altered Patty Hearst.

Document B

This document is the cover of a pamphlet of propaganda for Peoples Temple, a cult led by Jim
Jones who advocated “religious communalism.” He dreamed of creating a socialist community in which
all members shared the fruits of their common labor. This message is a vehement complaint against
negative media coverage of the group. Peoples Temple claims they “are responsible for saving many
lives,” revealing their belief that they were being unfairly maligned as a group who would otherwise be
embraced for its valiant efforts to save society from its ills. This idea was commonly propagated by cults
in an effort to attract members looking for help finding the path to righteousness. Prospective members
believed that the cult, especially its charismatic, god-like leader, would lead them to redemption and
happiness. Peoples Temple thought if it did not voice its opinions against criticism, then democracy
would die at the hands of the corrupt media and its followers. Those who opposed the cult, though,
denounced their seemingly socialist behavior for the same reasons—for being a threat to democracy.
Each side was convinced they were in the right as they fought for similar ideals in very different ways.
The student might comment on this bilateral irony which is clearly illustrated in the title of the
pamphlet: “Victims of Conspiracy.” The tone of the document is dramatic and demagogic, preying on
people's emotions and sympathy as cults would often do for support. The exclamations, capital letters,
and content of the document clearly indicate its propagandist nature.

Document C

The Unification Church, or “Moonies,” is a religious movement that originated in South Korea
under Sun Myung Moon in the 50s and rose to prominence in the 60s and 70s. The cult is best known
for its practice of mass weddings, spiritualism, and the second coming of Christ (Sun Myung Moon as
the Messiah). This excerpt is from cult survivor K. Gordon Neufeld's memoir Heartbreak and Rage:
Ten Years Under Sun Myung Moon. This passage shows the Unification Church's hostility towards
“non-believers.” The Moonies' “very little sympathy for non-believers” actually contradicts the New
Left's goals of the era for tolerance and equality. They believed that those who did not adhere to the
cult's principles would inevitably be punished, such as the “historically necessary price” Jews paid in the
Holocaust “for failing to support Jesus when he was alive.” The student might mention how the
“dispensing of existence” theory cements the trend of each cult blindly pursuing its own agenda while
thinking it was acting altruistically. Sun Myung Moon's role as the Messiah and his ability to decide
who is “Blessed” and who is “Satanic” is further evidence of each cult's characteristic autocratic ruler.
The leaders typically assumed the role of God, giving them the ability to brainwash and maintain total
control and loyalty in the cult.

Document D

This excerpt from a 1979 Star News article shows the government's position on cults. The central
issue is the separation of church and state. Historically, government was hesitant to interfere with
religious groups due to constitutional liberties laid out by the first amendment. However, allegations of
brainwashing and increased violence prompted renewed consideration on government intervention. The
student might point out that even though political overlap did sometimes occur, the 60s and 70s saw
little direct confrontation between government and cults. This fact reveals that sensationalized media
coverage, not official opposition, was the main cause for American awareness and opinions about cult
controversies. Because cults took such extreme measures, government focused on more pressing and
plausible issues of the time such as the Civil Rights Movement and feminism. Cults were actually a
more minor movement, though their fascinatingly strange and radical actions attracted the public eye
and credited them with more influence than they actually had.

Document E

This excerpt from instructions given by Jim Jones, leader of Peoples Temple, in 1978 is a threat
that the cult will seek Soviet assistance in the case of any Venezuelan aggression towards their
settlement in Guyana. Jonestown was located on the disputed border between Venezuela and Guyana,
and was in the direct line of fire between the two countries. The cult's willingness to turn to the Soviet
Union demonstrates their Communist sympathies that directly opposed America's stance on the evils of
Communism. Even though not all cults were aligned with socialist or communist ideas, people
associated them with such leftist political views because of statements such as this one. The student
might mention how this threat during the Cold War era would divide them further from American
society and earn them increased hostility. Jonestown's location in Latin America and prospective
alliance with the Soviets were clear signs that the cult had definitively anti-American leanings.

Document F

This excerpt is from the prosecution's report in the case of Susan Atkins, a member of the
Manson Family. The leader of the Manson Family, Charles Manson, was a musician who formed a
quasi-commune of his mainly female followers. Manson believed in the inevitability of an “apocalyptic
race war” which his cult would precipitate. This document demonstrates the extent to which Charles
Manson successfully brainwashed the cult members into complete devotion to him as a “Jesus Christ-
like person.” Members of the cult willingly participated in criminal acts with the justification that they
were simply carrying out divine orders. Atkins refers to the “Infinite” as the power behind Manson's
words, showing how followers would attribute supernatural and unlimited authority to their leader. The
student might add that the Manson Family was made up of vulnerable people searching for the stability
and security of a tight-knit community in the turbulent years of the 60s and 70s. The era was the ideal
atmosphere for the rise of cults because of this receptiveness to the idea of belonging to a familial group
that offered guidance and purpose.

Document G

This passage is from a Jonestown survivor's story about eventual disillusionment with Peoples
Temple's repressive methods and its manipulative leader Jim Jones. The survivor reveals the complex
cult dynamics that allowed the leader to act free of liability while his followers continued to view him as
a noble being. Anything they were told to do, no matter how extreme, seemed justified by what it aimed
to accomplish. Although only a handful of people were committed to leading such radical lifestyles,
these leaders attracted many followers to their vision by exploiting the American desire for direction: “I
could only hope to be enlightened by imitating his example.” The student might mention the use of the
word “Father” in referring to the leader as a sign of the strong bond that solidified the image of the cult
as the “new family.” Also, the use of the word socialist as a positive attribute of Jim Jones challenged
the mainstream American view that such leftist politics were deleterious to society.

List of “likely outside information”:

1. Symbionese Liberation Army
- Kidnapping of Patty Hearst
- Hibernia Bank robbery
2. The Manson Family
- Tate/LaBianca murders
- Charles Manson; Susan Atkins
3. Peoples Temple
- Mass suicide 1978
- Jonestown settlement in Guyana
- Jim Jones
4. The Unification Church/“Moonies”
- Mass marriages
- Sun Myung Moon
5. Civil Rights Movement
6. Cold War...Cuban Missile Crisis, Bay of Pigs, anti-communism/radicalism
7. Counterculture/the New Left
8. Feminism/sexual revolution
9. Student movement (SNCC, SDS, Kent State University)
10. Vietnam War...anti-war movement
11. Watergate/Nixon...disillusionment with government in the 1970s
12. Issue of religion...separation of church and state
 BIBLIOGRAPHY

Bugliosi, Vincent, with Curt Gentry. Helter Skelter: The True Story of the Manson Murders. New York:
Norton, 1974, 173-177. Reprinted in American Decades Primary Sources: 1960-1969. Detroit:
Gale, 2004. 323-326. Print.

"Cults: Congress Has Been Reluctant." Star News: Wilmington Morning Star 22 Jan. 1979: 2-B. Google
Newspapers. Web. 21 May 2010.

Jones, Jim. Instructions for October 1978. 16 & 17 Oct. 1978. Alternative Considerations of Jonestown
& Peoples Temple. Web. 21 May 2010. <http://jonestown.sdsu.edu/>.

Layton, Deborah. Seductive Poison: A Jonestown Survivor's Story of Life and Death in the Peoples
Temple. New York: Anchor Books, 1998, 66-69, 91-92, 151, 299. Reprinted in American
Decades Primary Sources: 1970-1979. Detroit: Gale, 2004. 397-399. Print.

Neufeld, K. G. Heartbreak and Rage: Ten Years Under Sun Myung Moon: A Cult Survivor's Memoir.
College Station, TX: Virtualbookworm.com, 2002. Google Books. Web. 21 May 2010.

"The Saga of Patty Hearst." Newsweek 29 Apr. 1974. BoingBoing: A Directory of Wonderful Things. 21
Apr. 2005. Web. 21 May 2010. <http://boingboing.net/2005/04/21/newsweek-1974-story-.html>.

Victims of Conspiracy Flyer. Jonestown: Peoples Temple, 1978. Alternative Considerations of

Jonestown & Peoples Temple. Web. 21 May 2010. <http://jonestown.sdsu.edu/>.