A little more than 35 years ago, a man named Jim Jones shocked the world when he led almost 1,000 of his followers in an act of mass suicide; amongst those dead were more than 270 children1. On November 18, 1978, Jones and his followers drank Kool-Aid laced with cyanide in what he had presented to them as a peaceful escape to injustices of this world. The Jonestown Massacre was an incredible tragedy that sent waves through the whole world. Though the event was tragic, scholars have used our knowledge of what happened in order to deepen our understanding of cults, religions, and how both can influence people’s decisions.
In the Late 1950’s, America was in the beginnings of an important Cultural revolution. The Civil Rights movement as a whole was still very new and the country had just recently been desegregated. As such,
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However, the first amendment makes it difficult to pass anti-cult legislation in America. Legislation to allow parents to hospitalize their adult children, as well as other laws of the sort were proposed and subsequently shot down. Though anti-cult legislation was and still is needed, it is hard to pass laws of this type that do not interfere with the American Public’s freedoms or constitutional rights 5.
Another result of the Jonestown Massacres was that the American public’s knowledge about cults was raised exponentially. The news was all over the media, constantly featured on television as well as seen on the cover of various magazines. About a month after the events in Guyana, in December 1978, a Gallup poll found that 98 percent of the United States population had heard or read about the People’s Temple, Jim Jones, and the Jonestown Massacre 5. The only other notable event to match this level of awareness amongst the public was the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor during World War I
The Boston Massacre occurred in the evening of The Boston Massacre began with a few colonists throwing snowballs at a soldier outside the Custom House in Boston, Massachusetts. (Text, 155) The argument began to escalate as more colonists gathered. Captain Thomas Preston arrived with a number of soldiers to maintain order. (Text, 155) Captain Preston tried to get the crowd to disperse; however, the crowd continued to throw snowballs, stones, and sticks at the British soldiers. Then one of the soldiers fired into the crowd and soon after, a number of other soldiers fired into the crowd as well. Four colonists died immediately. March 5, 1770 when British soldiers opened fire on a group of American colonists. (Text, 155) One cause of the
In 1772 the colonies had experienced a relative uneventful two years since the Boston Massacre. Adams was worried that his vision of independence was losing momentum. In 1772 The HMS Gaspee ran aground in shallow waters near the city of Warwick, Rhode Island. While the ship was stuck, a small group of men boarded, looted and torched the ship. The British government had formed an investigatory commission to find the perpetrators and bring them to justice. It was also decided if found the violators would be charged in an English court. It is unknown if Adams had any role in the Gaspee Affair, but he certainly took part in the alarm that was cause by it. Colonial governments were all alarmed at the prospect of American's being sent to England
The Boston Massacre was a major event that happened March 5, 1770. On King street, violence broke with British Government. In the city of Boston a huge fight broke out between the British soldiers and the colonists. The enormous fight endangered many people. There were also people killed during the vicious fight. Crispus Attuck was the first to hit bottom when the fight broke out. The incident heavily publicized by leading patriots, such as Paul Revere and Samuel Adams, to encourage rebellion against the British authorities. On the snowy evening a British soldier named Hugh White became involved in a confrontation with the citizens. Hugh white struck a little boy named Edward Garrick with the butt of his rifle for insulting a British officer
The Boston Massacre on March 5, 1770 wasn’t a massacre even though many people think it was. In this event the colonist were protesting because British soldiers were taking their jobs away and the British Parliament were taxing them for no reason. The colonist had clubs repeatedly told the soldiers to shoot them. The soldiers fired 5 shots into the crowd in self defense.
The Myall Creek Massacre occurred in the early evening of Sunday the 10th June 1838. A group of eleven men, convicts and ex-convict stockmen, viscously slaughtered a group of around twenty eight Wirrayaraay Aboriginal people. They attacked men, women and children who were all either camped peacefully next to the station huts or, inside the station with the other settlers, enjoying dancing and a meal together (at the Myall Creek cattle station in northern New South Wales).
The 1950’s and 1960’s remains the most controversial and momentous decades for the nation to this day. The civil rights movement was to end racial segregation and end all prejudice against African Americans. Whether it was voting rights, rights to sit wherever one liked, or to love someone outside of one's race; racist people at this time were reluctant to have equality. These civil rights movements challenged and demanded to be heard through protest and nonviolent activity. However, these protests never were noted and were completely shut down by authorities and other racist bystanders. Americans and their confidence in their way of ignorance was most certainly challenged during this time; how could one
The 1950s was an extraordinary time in America. It was the start of a movement from racial division to where children of any race, ethnicity, or skin tone could come together and ...From the most punctual years of European settlement in North America, whites subjugated and mistreated black individuals. Despite the fact that the Civil War at long last achieved the cancelation of subjugation, a cruel arrangement of racial domination held on from there on. In the mid twentieth century, African Americans in the South and in many parts of adjacent outskirt states were restricted from partner with whites in a large group of organizations and open facilities—schools, healing facilities, old people's homes, rest rooms, holding up rooms, railroad autos, lodgings, eateries, lunch counters, stops and shorelines, swimming pools, libraries, show corridors, and motion picture theaters. Some
Over nine hundred people dead within five minutes and all done by one all-powerful cult leader. Unfortunately, that was the case for the members of Jim Jones's cult of Jonestown. Jonestown is a prime example of how a religious movement can turn into a cult in the matter of time, and how it can be difficult to protect people against. This is due in part to our general acceptance of most religious movements in accordance to the first amendment, but also due in our classification of what a cult is. "Cults" are just destructive religious movements and are still protected by the first amendment. But one can't help but wonder how many cults are getting away with doing terrible things under the guise of religious choice. It's hard to admit that there's
In the 1950’s it was a dull time after world war 2. Rosa Parks who was present at that time got arrested for standing up for her rights. This gave a widespread of protests for black people rights. America had disposable income and had more greater material comfort than their forebears. This allowed them to devote more time to leisure activities and the consumption of popular culture.
By the 1950’s, Blacks had seemingly come a long way from their years of slavery. They could vote, hold a job, and even go to public school. Many whites believed that they had undisputedly given Black
In the 1950’s people were looked on as normal when they fit into a specific mold of how an American family should look and act. This was a white man, who worked and provided all the money for the family, the white wife, who stayed at home and cooked and clean, and two to three kids who went to school. Families who did not look like this were seen as lower. This includes minority’s who were forced into their own expectations by following segregation laws and living in the areas only where the other minorities lived. Anyone who tried to stand up to living under white rule, were immediately arrested. This led to groups of people fighting to be able to live under their own rule and choose for themselves where to live and work. The youth fought against conforming to the suburban view of life by creating a new rebellious attitude that would later cause the counterculture in the 1960’s. The civil right activists fought against conforming to unjust laws by a
In the 1950’s, there was a lot of hatred shown towards African-Americans that was quite violent and has caused a chaos within the country. There were several movements with and against African Americans. The country was completely split, and African-Americans were considered as second class citizens. They were segregated from the whites, and they even split public properties and goods.
Throughout the 1950’s and 1960’s, there were many acts, movements, and anger that inspired people to fight for their rights and declare the United States as integrated and hate free. There were many people that acted for their rights and for the rest of the people that were not able to speak up. Along with these people that were able to speak publicly or privately, there were marches and boycotts. Finally, there were violent acts which took place against colored citizens which left a negative impact on America’s past. The anger, passion, and drive for freedom so many citizens felt allowed the country to surpass its negative views and practices to emerge a more open and more accepting place.
Jim Jones realized he was losing control over the People’s Temple, leading to the Jonestown massacre. Then in 1975, he uprooted his followers and isolated them in Jonestown, Guyana. Jones began instructing his followers to commit a revolutionary suicide (Twemlow 224). The People’s Temple’s actions concerned many family members and outsiders, which sparked Congressman Leo Ryan’s involvement. Congressman Leo Ryan and some reporters were on a mission to rescue Americans from Jonestown. On November 18, 1978, Jim Jones was paranoid that his reign over Jonestown would come crashing down when some of his followers went with Congressman Ryan. Jones used a mass suicide to remain in control. Many people of Jonestown drank the poisonous Kool-Aid. When people resisted, Jones’ loyal followers injected hesitant followers with the poison. Jones ordered the murder of Congressman Ryan and was responsible for the deaths of nine hundred and nine Americans. Jim Jones constructed the Jonestown massacre by advertising false promises, instilling fear, and blackmailing his
The 1950s and 1960s were a period of growth and prosperity in the United States. Features of the common life included innovations such as television, dishwasher, and home air-conditioning. However, not all Americans equally benefited from the economic growth of this period of time. In addition to Jim Crow laws and unequal economic opportunities, America’s society became further segregated as many whites moved to the suburbs while blacks remained in run-down city neighborhoods. These inequalities sparked the civil rights movement, where African Americans stood up and fought for their rights using nonviolent methods. The movement influenced the emergence of many prominent figures including Martin Luther King Jr. and Rosa Parks. The civil rights movement of the 1950s and 1960s was successful in achieving equal rights for African Americans through nonviolent protests such as the Montgomery bus boycott, sit-ins, and marches.