The end of Jonestown occurred 45 years ago on Nov. 18 when nine-hundred cultists and two-hundred children died from ingesting poison Kool Aid at a cult gathering. This event has been classified as one of a many names;  massacre, mass suicide, and mass murder are a few. It is hard to know what to call this horrific event as we can’t know for sure if everyone at Jonestown had wanted to die that day or if they even knew they were going to die. Jim Jones was the man behind it all. Jones is the claimed religious leader of this ‘community’ and he committed suicide on the day of the massacre by gun. 

Typically, people in a cult don’t know they are in a cult. They just want a sense of community and belonging, they are being brainwashed and possibly involuntarily being fed drugs, like in Jonestown. Once people joined the cult or were born into the cult they couldn’t get out and the cases of people escaping cults were extremely rare and oftentimes resulted in death. 

There are recommendations of sources and documentaries to learn more about Jonestown at the bottom of this article.

Growing up, Jim Jones’ parents were absent, as his father was ill due to a chemical attack he endured in World War One. Jones’ mother neglected him and his family was financially struggling during his childhood. At a very young age Jones became involved with the church and many reported that he was obsessed with religion and death. His mother tried to stop him from preaching when she caught him practicing but this attempt was unsuccessful. 

This interest in religion led to him to preach at churches where he performed supposed miracles on people and talked about social justice and racial equality. When his following increased he received recognition in the political sphere and was awarded a Humanitarian award. Jones was the head of this community and was given everything his followers had; life savings and money, jewelry, cars, homes, and more.

This wealth he got was used to get all of his followers to Guyana where he created Jonestown. Jonestown cult followers went through extreme abuse and horrible treatment, were force-fed drugs and weren’t able to sleep for more than 3 three hours per day. Sleep deprivation made it easier to brainwash his followers and manipulate them into doing whatever Jones wanted.

There were many people suspicious of Jones that tried to expose him but admittedly, Jones had a great team of lawyers when it came to legal matters as he adopted multiple children and brought them to Jonestown. Overall the result of this massacre led to awareness of child abuse and the dangers of cults and how powerful they can become. 


Recommended Documentaries:

Jonestown: The Life and Death of Peoples Temple (2006, Movie)

Jonestown: Terror in the Jungle (2018, one season)

Works Cited

Wooden, Kenneth. The Children of Jonestown. McGraw Hill, 1981.