I chose the topic Project MKUltra because of my interest in psychology and how the mind works and can be manipulated. I found it fascinating that people were subjected to these experiments without their knowledge, often resulting in permanent brain damage or even death. This topic relates to the theme of Rights and Responsibilities because individuals felt their rights were taken away through non-consensual experiments, while the government failed in its responsibility to protect civilians from scientific abuse.
After choosing my topic and deciding on a website, I began researching first-person accounts from those who experienced MKUltra experiments. This allowed me to explore how these experiments impacted the brain and mind. I aimed to find specific details from directly involved individuals, focusing on interviews and primary sources. However, locating these sources was challenging, as MKUltra is less widely discussed today. Two particularly helpful sources were an interview from The Washington Post and the book Electroshock: Death, Brain Damage, Memory Loss, and Brainwashing. The interview provided insight into survivors' outrage and their pursuit of justice, while the book offered an overview of MKUltra, including its timeline and key elements.
For my website, I chose a blue theme to balance the seriousness of the topic with visual appeal. I used various images and divided them into sections based on each part of the timeline. Each page included subsections to organize ideas and relevant photos. I selected fonts and sizes to make the content readable and engaging for viewers.
My thesis is: During the Cold War, as the U.S. government intensified counterintelligence efforts against Soviet threats, the CIA's covert MKUltra project sought to control human behavior through unethical experiments involving drugs and psychological manipulation. This project infringed on individual rights and underscored the government’s responsibility to protect citizens from harm, even in the name of national security. MKUltra's exposure raised public awareness of the need for accountability in intelligence agencies and the importance of safeguarding civil rights against government overreach.
The CIA initiated MKUltra by abusing science to manipulate the human mind. Their experiments, which included LSD and psychological manipulation, were conducted without consent. These actions revealed the government's failure to protect citizens from harm. Eventually, public awareness brought attention to the violations, leading to laws that prevented similar abuses. Although those affected by MKUltra suffered lifelong consequences, some positive outcomes emerged. Global outrage over the project prompted major organizations to enforce consent as a requirement for experiments and mandate transparency about their details. New protections were established to ensure science is used for good rather than harm.