Movement led by Jim Jones that relocated from California to a remote settlement in Guyana, ending in the murder of a U.S. congressman and the mass deaths of more than 900 members on November 18, 1978.
Peoples Temple was founded by Jim Jones in Indianapolis, Indiana, in 1955, initially presenting itself as a progressive Christian congregation committed to racial integration and social justice. Over the following two decades it relocated to California, grew to several thousand members, and built real political influence in San Francisco.
As scrutiny of the group intensified in the mid-1970s — including former-member allegations of physical abuse, coerced labor, and financial exploitation — Jones relocated a large portion of the membership to a remote agricultural settlement in Guyana known as Jonestown.
Jonestown remains the largest single loss of American civilian life in a deliberate act prior to September 11, 2001, and reshaped how the U.S. government, media, and mental health professionals discuss coercive religious groups.