Editing Jonestown (section)

== Origins ==
{{Main|Peoples Temple|Jim Jones|Peoples Temple in San Francisco}}
{{Location map many | California
|label=[[Los Angeles]]
|label_size=100
      | pos=right
      | lat=34.0452  | long=-118.281
      | marksize=9
| label2=[[San Francisco]]
| label2_size=110
      | lat2=37.778  | long2=-122.421
      | mark2size=11
      | mark2=Blue_pog.svg
| label3=[[Ukiah, California|Ukiah]]
| label3_size=100
      | pos3=top
      | lat3=39.152  | long3=-123.207
      | mark3size=9
| label4=[[Bakersfield]]
| label4_size=80
      | pos4=right
      | lat4=35.368  | long4=-119.018
      | mark4size=7
| label5=[[Fresno]]
| label5_size=80
      | pos5=right
      | lat5=36.740  | long5=-119.786
      | mark5size=7
| label6=[[Sacramento]]
| label6_size=80
      | pos6=right
      | lat6=38.580  | long6=-121.491
      | mark6size=7
| label7=[[Santa Rosa, California|Santa Rosa]]
| label7_size=80
      | pos7=left
      | lat7=38.438  | long7=-122.712
      | mark7size=7
| width=200 | float=right
 |caption=Some of the Peoples Temple [[California]] locations
}}

The Peoples Temple was formed by Jim Jones in [[Indianapolis, Indiana|Indianapolis]], [[Indiana]], in 1955.<ref>{{cite book|first=Catherine|last=Wessinger|year=2000|title=How the Millennium Comes Violently: From Jonestown to Heaven's Gate|isbn=978-1889119243|pages=31–34|publisher=Seven Bridges Press }}</ref> The movement purported to practice what it called "[[Four Marks of the Church#"Apostolic" as a mark of the Church|apostolic]] [[socialism]]."<ref>{{cite book|last=Dawson|first=Lorne L|title=Cults and new religious movements: a reader|publisher=Wiley-Blackwell|isbn=978-1405101813|year=2003|page=[https://archive.org/details/cultsnewreligiou0000unse/page/194 194]|url=https://archive.org/details/cultsnewreligiou0000unse/page/194}}</ref><ref>{{cite magazine|magazine=Time|url=http://www.time.com/time/photogallery/0,29307,1859872_1799879,00.html|title=Mass Suicide at Jonestown: 30 Years Later|year=2008|access-date=April 10, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130825114438/http://www.time.com/time/photogallery/0,29307,1859872_1799879,00.html|archive-date=August 25, 2013|url-status=dead}}</ref> In doing so, the Temple preached that "those who remained drugged with the opiate of religion had to be brought to enlightenment{{snd}}socialism."<ref name="Layton 1998 53">{{Harvnb|Layton|1998|p=53}}</ref><ref name="q1053">Jones, Jim. [http://jonestown.sdsu.edu/?page_id=27318 "Transcript of Recovered FBI tape Q 1053."] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150205021417/http://jonestown.sdsu.edu/?page_id=27318|date=February 5, 2015}} ''Alternative Considerations of Jonestown and Peoples Temple''. Jonestown Project: San Diego State University.</ref> Jones had held an interest in [[Joseph Stalin]], [[Mao Zedong]] and [[Adolf Hitler]] from a young age, and would later frequently praise Stalin and [[Vladimir Lenin]] as heroes.<ref>{{Cite web |title=What was Peoples Temple's plan to move to the Soviet Union? – Alternative Considerations of Jonestown & Peoples Temple|url=https://jonestown.sdsu.edu/?page_id=35388|access-date=2022-04-27|language=en-US}}</ref> He was also upset with persecution against the [[Communist Party USA]].<ref>{{cite web|last=Graham |first=Ben |date=12 May 2021 |title=Jonestown Massacre: How conman Jim Jones' final words caused 900 deaths|url=https://www.nzherald.co.nz/world/jonestown-massacre-how-conman-jim-jones-final-words-caused-900-deaths/H7TRYOAK2NJZAHDTQJWSDJSMOI/|access-date=30 March 2022|work=New Zealand Herald}}</ref> In the early 1960s, Jones visited Guyana – then a [[British Guiana|British colony]] – while on his way to establishing a short-lived Temple mission in [[Brazilian military dictatorship|Brazil]].<ref name="raven78">{{Harvnb|Reiterman|Jacobs|1982|p=78}}</ref>

[[File:Peoples Temple logo.svg|right|thumb|200px|The logo of The [[Peoples Temple]], led by [[Jim Jones]], which controlled the commune until late 1978.]]
[[File:Rev. Jim Jones, 1977 (cropped)2.jpg|right|thumb|200px|[[Jim Jones]], founder of [[Peoples Temple|The Peoples Temple]].]]
After Jones received considerable criticism in Indiana for his [[integrationist]] views, the Temple moved to [[Redwood Valley, California|Redwood Valley]], [[California]], in 1965.<ref name="lib_vir">{{cite web|url=http://religiousmovements.lib.virginia.edu/nrms/Jonestwn.html|title=The Religious Movements Homepage Project: Peoples Temple|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060908190148/http://religiousmovements.lib.virginia.edu/nrms/Jonestwn.html|archive-date=September 8, 2006}}</ref> In the early 1970s, the Temple opened other branches in [[Los Angeles]] and [[San Francisco]], and would eventually move its headquarters to San Francisco.<ref>{{Harvnb|Layton|1998|pp=64–65}}</ref>

With the move to San Francisco came increasing political involvement by the Temple and the high levels of approval they received from the local government.<ref>{{cite book|last1=Krause|first1=Charles|last2=Layton|first2=Deborah|title=Introduction – Seductive Poison: A Jonestown Survivor's Story of Life and Death in the Peoples Temple|publisher=Anchor Books}}</ref> After the group's participation proved instrumental in the mayoral election victory of [[George Moscone]] in 1975, Moscone appointed Jones as the Chairman of the [[San Francisco Housing Authority]].<ref>[https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/amex/jonestown/filmmore/pt.html ''Jonestown: The Life and Death of Peoples Temple''.] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090314080911/http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/amex/jonestown/filmmore/pt.html|date=March 14, 2009}} PBS.org.</ref> Increasing public support in California gave Jones access to several high-ranking political figures, including vice presidential candidate [[Walter Mondale]] and [[First Lady of the United States|First Lady]] [[Rosalynn Carter]]. Guests at a large 1976 testimonial dinner for Jones included [[Governor of California|Governor]] [[Jerry Brown]], [[Lieutenant Governor of California|Lieutenant Governor]] [[Mervyn Dymally]] and California Assemblyman [[Willie Brown (politician)|Willie Brown]], among others.<ref>{{Harvnb|Layton|1998|p=105}}</ref>