Jim Jones Research Paper

* Jim Jones and the People Temple * When you think of Jim Jones and the People Temple the first thing that comes to mind is a mass suicide, not only involving one specific sex or race, but involving men, women, and children of all races. However, do we ever take the time to sit down and look into what Jim Jones and the People Temple actually stood for? There must be a reason behind all the things that were done. Behind the reason Pastor Jim Jones preached what he did and had such a major impact on the members of the People’s Temple. People take leadership in many things throughout everyday life. Yes, some on more significant levels than others. There are leaders of groups, companies, churches, and even leaders of cults or whole nations.
Jones claimed his father was associated with the Ku Klux Klan. Growing up Jones was seen as a weird child, with a great obsession for religion and death. It was brought to the attention that he would perform funerals for animals and even killed a cat with a knife. In his family his father did not work, while his mother worked to support the family. So Jones grew up as a wild child just on his own. In the documentation, Jonestown: The Life and Death of Peoples Temple, Jones brings out how when growing up there was “feeling as an outcast, I’d early developed a sensitivity for the problems of blacks”. (Nelson) This brought Jones at an early age to not segregate against African Americans. When the separation of Jones’ parents occurred he moved with his mother Lynetta to Richmond where he graduated early from Richmond High School in 1948. Jones then attended Indiana University at
A newspaper article was coming out the next morning about Jim Jones and how they should investigate him. The article had information from a former member. She read what was going to be printed to Jones over the phone the day before and he made the decision then to have everyone flown over. Guyana was a location in South America that was being built for the People Temple. It was in the middle of the forest. A plan of 90 members went in December of 1975 to check the progress of the community and the building. “Footage showing the first there looked like freedom everyone wanted to go”. (Nelson) There was letters and footage getting sent back of people just loving it there. The people that were not there were jealous and just could not wait. The night that everyone flew over, people just packed belongings and took family members. Some people came home to find that their wives took their children and valuables. Leaving with nothing behind as to where they were going. People that did not get out to Guyana then came out later and could not wait to get