Jim Jones Research Paper

Why would I want to have a thirty-minute conversation with the now deceased Syracuse Alum and NFL player Jim Brown? Jim Brown is a strong African American male who had lived through different stages of life, someone who acquired great knowledge growing up. Brown was and still is now a hero, someone most athletes look up to, someone who has motivated me after learning about the history of him. He dealt with racism in his lifetime, the transitions from being home with family all his life to the college life. Additionally, Brown was capable of staying on top of his academics, while participating in athletics. Furthermore, I feel as if in a way we are connected, both black males who looked to use football as a way to more opportunities in life,

In the weeks and months that passed groups of men began arriving from other towns. All debating whether or not they should go after the captives and retake them. All agreed that if they did this they would surly kill all especially the Reverend and his family.

Jim Bowie is an amazing Man because he died defending Texas. He died at the alamo on his deathbed by getting stabbed. His death was a very gruesome consequences for being sick in bed and shooting two of the mexicans. Now if that is not a gruesome death, then you are crazy.

In the spring of 1993, the Branch Davidian Christian gained global infamy from this siege on its compound that laid a few miles just outside of Waco. On Sunday, February 28, a violent two hour gun battle took place leaving six Davidians and four ATF agents dead. A 51-day standoff ensued. Amid the siege, the Branch Davidians’ charismatic leader, Vernon Howell, a 33-year-old musician who believed himself to be the final prophet in Christian end-times

James bowie has seven siblings. Jim bowie’s brother Rezin made the first bowie knife. He was born in Kentucky and spent his life in Louisiana. Jim bowie was well known as a knife fighter. Bowie got permission from the Mexican government to lead an expedition. Bowie’s wife had two children but died young. Bowie fought for three hours “Bowie said he was a born leader.” said Noah Smithwick of the battle of Concepcion. Houston wanted him to raise a volunteer group and attack but General Council declared bowie

“Jackson promised to begin "a rainbow coalition" that would unite people across racial lines to advocate for better economic conditions for the poor.”(Johansen, Bruce E.). Jesse Louis Jackson was born on October 18, 1941, in Greenville, South Carolina. He is an civil rights activist, Baptist minister, and politician. Jackson joined Martin Luther King's Southern Christian Leadership Conference(SCLC), and took place in nonviolent protests against segregation full-time. Jesse Jackson formed the National Rainbow Coalition to advocate for equal rights for African Americans, other minorities, women, and LGBTQ. During Jesse Jackson’s life he fought for civil rights, founded the Rainbow/People United to Save Humanity organization, and broke barriers.

“Prior to the 9/11 attack, the tragedy at Jonestown marked the single largest loss of U.S. civilian lives in a non-natural disaster”(Jonestown Massacre 2). Jim Jones, a cult leader of the Peoples Temple, was responsible for the loss of the 900+ people that died in Guyana on November 18, 1978. Before all of this Jim Jones was a normal man living a life as a preacher who preached against racism. Throughout his life he was very popular by “currying favor with public officials and the media, donated money to numerous charitable causes and delivered votes for various politicians at election times”(History Staff). Jim Jones was a cult leader that preached to 900+ people of the Peoples Temple, made hundreds of people commit suicide, and made history of the biggest loss of U.S. civilians before 9/11.

It was after several moves starting in the Midwest and ending in the Westcoast that Jones decided that the Peoples Temple needed to emigrate from San Francisco to Guyana in order to escape what he believed to be creeping fascism in the United States. Jones was a Marxist after all so there was always that need to rebel against America and its capitalistic ideas (Russell 39). And the communist utopia that Jones and the Peoples Temple had created (Jonestown) began to flourish. It had seemed that the utopia Jones had always envisioned was now reality. The members of the Peoples Temple began to feel at home because it was a place where anyone no matter what race, gender, or even age could live in perfect harmony with one another. In fact during its first phase of existence it could actually be considered a proper socialist community from the point of view of a true political scientist (Latson). And it was not until the late 1970s that Jim Jones and Jonestown began to crumble which could only be explained by Jones’ unusual metamorphosis. Nobody really knows for sure what happened to him when he and the Peoples Temple had left the United States to build their community in Guyana, but it would be something that would end up destroying not only himself but everything he and the Peoples Temple had created.

As the betrayal began to increase, the more severe the punishments became. Jim Jones had very little tolerance for disrespect, disobedience, negativity, and secrets. He was determined to keep everyone under control. Once the cult was discovered at Jonestown, there was a tape that Jones recorded during the time the People’s Temple was going to commit suicide. “Jones himself can be heard for the majority of the 45-minute recording as he is attempting to persuade the members into committing suicide, and succeeding” (McCloy). This is a very disturbing tape where you can hear Jim Jones speaking to the members in a persuasive way. However, there are also some people on the tape who was against Jones for choosing their time of death. The majority

At days end on November 18, 1976, Jonestown was left lifeless. Jones watched as all of his followers (forced or under free will) drink the poisoned Kool-Aid as he commanded. Yet he did not receive the same way out, he was too cowardly and proud to take his own life, Jones was killed by one of his followers with a single gunshot to the back of the head (Jim Jones 2014). He died that day with his followers, with no punishment. The families of members of the cult will never have closure, no justice for those who had been killed.

The mass suicides, that took place under the influence of Reverend Jim Jones, can be explained from a sociological perspective. By looking at how the group dynamics played into the outcome one gets a better idea of the whys? of the massacre. The sociological explanation is but one way to explain this horrific event. It is , however, the only one explored in this essay for reasons of concision.

By the time of the final ritual, opposition or escape had become almost impossible for most of the members. Yet even then, it is doubtful that many wanted to resist or leave. Most had come to believe in Jones -- one woman's body was found with a message scribbled on her arm during the final hours: "Jim Jones is the only one" (Cahill, 1979). They seemed to have accepted the necessity, and even the beauty, of dying -- just before the ritual began, a guard approached Charles Garry, one of the Temples hired attorneys, and exclaimed, "Its a great moment... we all die" (Lifton, 1979). A survivor of Jonestown, who happened to be away at the dentist, was interviewed a year following the deaths:

The first public challenge to Jones’ leadership of the Temple came in 1972 from the media, which then increased his paranoia that his followers would turn against him. Jones went to greater lengths after being challenged by the media to declare his control by constantly testing his followers. He would organize “white nights”, which required his followers to drink a red liquid which may have contained poison, then Jones would see how many of his followers wouldn’t hesitate to drink the red liquid. Jones was still paranoid and made the decision to move Peoples Temple to Guyana and start a community called Jonestown.

Some of the people were just compliant. They yielded to social pressure in their public behavior, even though their private beliefs had not changed. I believe these people to be the ones who ended up wanting to leave the cult. Some of these people were killed for trying to leave. There were still others who conformed to the social norms for fear of negative social consequences which they called catharsis. Their example of catharsis was, for example, if a teenager was accused of being rude to a senior citizen , the congregation would hear the evidence and vote on the teenagers innocence or guilt. The punishment could be a severe spanking administered by Jones. Adults who transgressed were punished by being placed in a ring and forced to box with bigger, stronger Temple members. Transgressions subject to catharsis ranged from selfishness, sexism, discourtesy to drug and alcohol abuse, and petty crimes for which members could be arrested and convicted by public authorities.

First responder Dennis Ayara, a divisional police officer, was unable to quiet the riot, so reinforcements were called in. Eventually all of the members and pastors were thrown out of the church. The premises will remained locked up until things are properly