Jim Jones's Temple Agricultural Project: The Jonestown Massacre

On the day of September 11, 1857, an emigrant party camped at Mountain Meadows was brutally killed by the Mormon militia aided by Indians. This essay examines two viewpoints regarding the massacre found in Sally Denton’s “American Massacre” and in “Massacre at Mountain Meadows” by Ronald W. Walker, Richard E. Turley, and Glen M. Turley.

“The Contested Plains: Indians, Goldseekers, and the Rush to Colorado” Written by Elliott West. I chose to write about this book because of the large range of events and transitions that occurred throughout the American West that the author includes in the text. Elliot West highlights the struggles that many endured while trying to create better circumstances for not only themselves but also their families by moving to the west. He chronicles the adaptations that many white settlers arriving in the west faced in order to be able to make a living for themselves. But another reason why I found the book interesting was because of the way Elliot West provided perspective for each side of the struggle over the American West. He gives us the

Nov. 18, 1978 the day 913 innocent people died. Jim jones killed 909 of his church members including 300 children and a senator. In the weeks leading up to this tragedy people started to become suspicious of peoples temple in Guyana south america. As the suspicion and paranoia grew throughout the colony Jones became obsessed and scared of what people would do. There were an increase in the number of suicide drills, and more precautions were added. Also people weren't allowed to have contact with the outside world so some people would try to escape but you had to be “prepared to die” (o'shea). If someone caught you escaping you would be punished severely. On top of that they were surrounded by jungle so it would be hard to escape.

The period between 1870 and 1900 was a time to change politics. The country was for once free from war and was united as one nation. However, as these decades passed by, the American farmer found it harder to live comfortably. Crops such as cotton and wheat, once the cash crop of agriculture, were selling at prices so low that it was nearly impossible for farmers to make a profit. Improvements in transportation allowed larger competitors to sell more easily and more cheaply, making it harder for American yeoman farmers to sell their crops. Finally, years of drought in the Midwest and the fall of business in the 1890s devastated the farming community. Most notably, the Populist Party arose to fight what farmers saw as the issues affecting

Lastly, in the incident with Jonestown, showed the most extreme case of conformity and obedience. Jim Jones was a pastor at Peoples Temple, he was the leader of an interracial church. For its time, Jim Jones was pushing past race and ethnicity and introducing a new church that welcomed all people. Jones was the type of man that made people feel comfortable and at home; maybe that is why so many people followed him when he moved his temple across the county and then to Guyana. I think what made people interested in Jonestown was how the community seemed very close and simple, but who would have guessed that those 900 townspeople would all commit mass suicide just because one man said to. The question that remains is, why did so many people obey

The Battle of Little Bighorn and the Massacre at Wounded Knee were both significant and terrible events that took place in American history during the 1800’s. These two eyewitness documents provide information and details about two important Indian battles against American troops. These events occurred 14 years apart but both were the result of the Sioux Indians being unsatisfied with their freedom taken from them.

Tenskwatawa, under the guise of peace, requested a ceasefire from Harrison until the next day when they could discuss terms. However, early on the morning of 7th of November, Tenskwatawa’s warriors attacked Harrison’s encampment. A short battle ensued with both sides taking casualties. Tenskwatawa was eventually forced to break contact with Harrison’s troops when his warriors ran low on ammunition. Following the battle, Governor Harrison approached Prophetstown and found it abandoned. He burned the town and returned to his garrison with his troops. He publically declared the battle a success.

Mississippi History has become the state its now because of many events, government actions, cultural changes, and writers. Indian Act Removal Act, 13th Amendment, and Reverend George Lee played a big impact Mississippi current status. The Removals of Indians increased the Europeans power and lessened the Indian population. The 13th Amendment abolished slavery. Reverend George Lee was shot down for urging blacks to vote. All these contributed to Mississippi History.

Although The Sand Creek Massacre is known for occurring on November 29, 1864 there are specific reasons this incident happened and they all take place before 1864. It all started during the 1850’s, where the the gold and silver rush brought many white settlers near the Rocky Mountains and the surrounding foothills. This event is known as the Pike’s Peak Gold Rush of 1658 which angered many people known as the Cheyenne and Arapaho Indians. They soon began attacking the white men which caused the number of soldier to decrease this then led to the Colorado War of 1863-1865.The battle began to get out of hand that territorial governor John Evans sent a Militia Commander known as John M. Chivington. Now this man was very well known for his passion of extinguishing all of the Indians once he was let in the clergy. The Civil War raged in the east in the spring of 1864 where Chivington launched a violent campaign against the Cheyenne and their allies. The troops attacked any and all Indians and their villages, but the Cheyenne were joined by Arapaho, Sioux, Comanche, and Kiowa in Colorado and Kansas, went on a defensive warpath. Evans and Chivington then raised the Third Colorado Cavalry which was a reinforced militia of short term volunteers who went by the name of “hundred Dazers.” It was a summer of scattered clashes and small raids, but the Cheyenne and Arapaho were finally ready for peace. The Indian representatives then met with Evans and Chevington on September 28, 1864 at

The dark history of this all-American holiday is well documented and anyone who wants to know the truth can easily find it. What I will present here are just a few of the facts. In 1637, English settlers moved into the Connecticut valley, home of the Pequot Indians. Then early one morning while the Natives were still asleep, the settlers surrounded, attacked, and set ablaze a town full of Pequot Indians. They burned entire families alive. Anyone who escaped the fire, was hunted down, tramped into the mud, and savagely hacked to pieces. In the aftermath of the massacre, these depraved English terrorists thanked God for the easy victory over helpless and innocent people. Then on the very next day, their degenerate

The Mormons were a religious group of people who were driven to what is now Utah. As a result of being driven from their homes in Missouri and Arkansas, they grew suspicious of non-members of their group, especially Native Americans and people from their original homeland. The massacres were one of the worst things they can do to non-members. They even disguised themselves as Native Americans to frame them in some of the massacres to remove them from Utah. The Native Americans, like the Shoshone, were probably mistreated because some religious groups see their religion as paganism. Many Indians died fighting to remain in their homeland and keep their heritage. Today, it is illegal to violate human rights including religion, but many Native

The 1870’s and 1880’s in America was marked with growing nativism towards the Chinese, accumulating to the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882 (Yung 54). Competing immigrant laborers effected the entire country, including the Midwest, where people sought employment in coal mines. Animosity towards the Chinese was also largely uncontroversial in the territories, with the Wyoming Republican party declaring that the Chinese were an undesired group (Storti 98). There is no definitive date that hints at the beginning of the Rock Springs Massacre in 1885, where many Chinese miners were killed by white miners. However, origins of this conflict can be traced back to when the Chinese were first brought in as strikebreakers in 1875 unde the Union Pacific Coal

Jones began his group in San Francisco and was once a respected community leader. He started programs to help the elderly and poor. His circle of friends once included leading politicians, who

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.

The family members called the U.S government and asked them to investigate Jonestown. The U.S government told California Congressman Leo Ryan about Jonestown and he decided to go there himself and make sure that everyone was okay. He took a newspaper reporter and a cameraman with him. When he got there one of the cult members threatened to kill him if he did not leave. Ryan decided to go back to the U.S, and fifteen other Jonestown members wanted to go with him. As they were boarding the plane, Jones sent over gunmen who killed Ryan, his cameraman, the reporter and some of the people trying to leave Jonestown. The rest managed to escape. When Jones heard that they escaped he told his followers that they could no longer live in peace and that they would all have to sacrifice their lives so they could live in another world of peace together. At exactly 5:00 p.m .the mass suicide started. Jones and his aides put sedatives, cyanide, and tranquilizers in grape flavored Kool Aid and gave it to everyone in Jonestown. The people who would not drink it were forced by the other followers.909 people drank the poisonous drink and all of them died, 232 of those people were children. By 7:00 p.m., all 909 people where dead. Jones himself did not drink the Kool Aid. He was shot in the head, either by himself or his aide is undecided.