Jonathan Crichlow
Humane Letters
01/17/12
I. Introduction
II. Jim Jones Early Life
III. Peoples Temple Beginnings
IV. Peoples Temple Relocation
V. Inner Circles
VI. Defectors
VII. Move to Guyana and Jonestown Beginnings
VIII. Deterioration of Jonestown
IX. Involvement of the Government and Murder
X. The Largest Mass Suicide in History
XI. Conclusion
Jonathan Crichlow
Humane Letters
01/17/12
JIM JONES AND THE JONESTOWN MASS SUICIDE
Introduction
On November 18th, 1978, hundreds of Americans committed suicide in the jungles of northern Guyana in South America. This report will fill you in on the details of that tragic event. This is a story of a new religious movement that began in the 1950's. This New Religious Movement was called the Peoples Temple. The Peoples Temple was created by Jim Jones, and he maintained the leadership role of this group until his death. Many see the Peoples Temple as a cult, but new religious movements were seen as cults by the common people at the time. During the mid-1900's, all new religions were considered cults. Since the Peoples Temple was integrated, unlike most of the churches at that time, the number of black members of the 'church' proliferated, and in fact, African Americans were the majority within the congregation. Members saw hope in this church. They saw hope of racial equality and freedom from oppression. Because Jim Jones was such a charismatic leader, the church expanded rapidly. He was intelligent, and he was an outstanding speaker. People would heard him preach and witness his alleged healings and would join the church immediately. Later on, he and his followers would leave America to set up a society that he named Jonestown. This is where most of them died. This report will start at the beginning of Jim Jones' life and take you through ,step by step, the life and death of a cult called the Peoples Temple.
Jim Jones Early Life
James Warren Jones was born on...