One event that took place in the late 1970s was the Jonestown Massacre. The Jonestown Massacre took place in the Jonestown, Guyana, and was responsible for taking the lives of over 300 people. The massacre was the result of Jim Jones and his cult Peoples Temple Agricultural Project. In the cult Jones, had his followers working 12 hours a day and going to “school” after that. In “school” the followers were taught how bad America was and how everyone should be supportive of communism, especially with the USSR. The followers were also taught that they should take their own lives, when the time came, so that they could maintain control of how they passed. Jones would have frequent “test runs” of passing out flavored punch, claiming that is was laced, and that the followers would die within 45 minutes, in order to test their loyalty. When Congressman Ryan came to rescue some of the followers and help them get home, Jones took this as a threat. After attacking Ryan, Jones ordered people to mix up flavored punch, and to lace it with cyanide and tranquilizers. Jones then ordered all of his followers to sign over their assets to the Communist Party of the USSR, and then took drink the poisoned punch. This was called “revolutionary suicide” and took the lives of over 300 people. Not all of the deaths were from the cyanide poisoning, most were, but some were from self-inflicted gun shot wounds. The Jonestown Massacre, was one of the worse cult deaths that America has ever seen.
For more information: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jone9780205625697stown
