The Jonestown Massacre Remembered 30 Years Later
Jim Jones, Peoples Temple Founder, Led More than 900 in Mass Suicide
To his followers, James Warren "Jim" Jones cut the most impressive figure possible--that of a messiah on earth. The Peoples Temple Agricultural Project, the religious cult that Jones built with himself as the centerpiece of power, is now colloquially termed "Jonestown." How it began, and how it eventually ended, represents a bizarre story.
Respected Community and Religious Leader
While there were certainly signs of danger early on in the strange career of Jim Jones, the overall positive message he preached drew large numbers of congregants to Jones' sermons. Even as he requested money in exchange for miracle healings and preached the need for a complete separation from society or anyone not a member of the Peoples Temple, Jim Jones also did something almost unprecedented for a white religious leader. He advocated integration of his Church, and his black and white followers worshipped side-by-side at a time when racial tensions were still extremely high across the country.
By the 1970s, Jones, ever charming and charismatic in social situations, had gained attention and cultivated swift popularity amongst influential political leaders within his San Francisco community. At a September 1976 dinner honoring Jim Jones for his contributions to the black community, Willie Brown, Jr. had the following to say about the evening's honoree:
"I have had the great pleasure of knowing a leader with tremendous character and integrity. . . Rev. Jones is regarded among government officials, civic and religious leaders, and particularly the black community and working class people, with utter respect for what he has done to upgrade the quality of life in our area and to bring greater health and well-being to thousands of poor, minority, and disadvantaged people."
A New Caliber of Social Commune
No sooner had Jim Jones risen to prominence, did his steady decline begin. Media inquiries into the truth or fraud behind Jones' ability to heal the sick caused the Peoples Temple leader to relocate a large segment of his followers to Jonestown, Guyana.
Whether driven by a true belief in building a peace-loving, God-fearing commune far from the degrading influences of American society, or simply by paranoia caused by his misuse of prescription drugs, Jim Jones moved most of his devotees to South America, in 1974.
With nearly 3,800 acres of land to occupy in Guyana and almost one thousand committed followers to populate and cultivate it, the Peoples Temple Agricultural Project was ready to proceed under the leadership of Jim Jones.
A Messiah Named Jim
Immediately upon arrival in Guyana, Jim Jones imposed stern doctrine of isolation for his followers. No contact with non-members of the Peoples Temple was allowed, causing outside relatives of Jonestown members to form a letter-writing coalition of what they loosely called "concerned relatives." A small number of Peoples Temple members managed to leave Jonestown before the eventual tragedy, but concerned relatives were mostly ineffective in retrieving their loved ones from the Guyana compound.
Mass Suicide in Guyana
On November 18, 1978, Jim Jones and 908 Jonestown residents died on the compound. Most were coerced into drinking cyanide-laced kool-aid, an idea concocted by Jones. Others were shot while attempting to flee, and at least one resident, Jim Jones himself, committed suicide before local authorities were able to secure the compound.
So anomalous does the Jonestown Massacre seem to those just learning of its history today, that the incident continues to generate intense and puzzled interest in the social climate that allowed the incident to happen. Certainly, the destructive charisma of Jim Jones will remain a fascinating case study for social scientists and psychologists for years to come.
Jim Jones, Peoples Temple Cult Leader
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