The Jonestown Massacre :: Papers

The Jonestown Massacre The Jonestown massacre was a horrible tragedy, which took the lives of over 900 innocent people and could possibly be the most corrupt and horrific experiment the American government has ever done. To get to know about the massacre, you have to know a little about the man behind it all, Reverend Jim Jones. Jim Jones was the son of a Klansman and considered himself to be a reincarnation of both Jesus and Lenin. (Lenin was a Russian revolutionist who helped bring about socialism in Russia.) They say he was paranoid of the American government, but later, it was found that he worked for it. He was a well-known person in San Francisco because he was the leader of the People's Temple and also because of the fact that he was the Chairman of the Housing Department and he and his church won many humanitarian awards. He was called "Father" by members of the People's Temple. The People's Temple was the so-called "church" that Jones established. People joined the People's Temple for different reasons; a political statement, structure, discipline, or a way to escape from violence, alcohol and drugs. Whatever the reason they joined for, when they got in something kept them there. Jim Jones was a mastermind at brainwashing, and that's just what he did to all of his followers. He had many tactics; he was an excellent speaker and was amazingly convincing, he staged fake healings, and used narcotics on his followers, so they would believe almost anything. As he was doing all this brainwashing he was stealing money from the people, raping the young women and girls of his church, and on top of it all, murdering those who seemed a threat to his church or attempted to leave. Eventually, The People's Temple was being investigated by the police, so Jim Jones moved it to the jungle of Guyana, he called this place Jonestown. Jonestown was his idea of the perfect community. It was based on the ideals of socialism and communism, and everyone worked