Misfortunate Monday: Mass Suicide at Jonestown

     Hello everybody and welcome back to another edition of Global History Hub! I'll be your host, Mr. Nations, your tour guide to this massive world we all call home. Firstly, I'd like to apologize for missing several days in my schedule. I was busy working on schoolwork and homework, among other things. But I am back and refreshed, so let's begin the week! Today we'll be taking a look at the mass suicide at Jonestown, a tragedy unlike any other.

     On November 18th, 1978, Peoples Temple founder, Jim Jones leads hundreds of his followers in a mass murder-suicide at their agricultural commune in a remote part of the South American nation of Guyana. The majority of Jones' followers willingly ingested the deadly, poison-laced cocktail. The minority was forced to do so at gunpoint. The final death toll that day was 909, a third of which were children.

     Jones was an outgoing, charming churchman who established the People's Temple, a Christian religious group, in Indianapolis in the 1950s. He was your typical preacher, preaching against racism and other such topics. His integrated congregation drew in many African Americans. In 1965, he moved his base of operations to Northern California. In the 1970s, his church was accused of financial fraud, physical abuse of its members, and the mistreatment of children. In response to the accusations, the increasingly paranoid Jones invited his congregation to move with him to Guyana.

     Jones had promised all his followers a utopia, but it wasn't even close to what his followers had dreamed of. Temple members worked long days in the field and were punished if they questioned Jones' authority. Their passports were confiscated, their letters home were censored, were encouraged to snitch on one another, and were forced to attend lengthy, late-night meetings. meetings.

     Jones' mental health was declining, and that was when the suicide drills began. Only one day, it wouldn't be a drill.

     Fast Facts:

• Children were the first to die, with nurses and parents dropping a vile mix of cyanide, sedatives, and powdered fruit mix into their throats. 
• Adults were forced to line up and drink the concoction in the main pavilion while they were surrounded by armed guards. 
• Residents did manage to escape into the jungle.

     !!!WARNING!!!

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     Sources: https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/mass-suicide-at-jonestown