We designed this Web page to emphasize the relationship between the Jonestown cult and the culture out of which it grew. When following our links to other sites, keep this in mind. It is extremely important, however, to constantly remind yourself of the decontextualizing nature of the Internet.
Information exists on the 'Net outside of existing scholarly structures.
We have provided a short bibliography of pertinent texts at the end of the page. The charismatic leader of Jonestown, was Jim Jones, a preacher who set up the Peoples Temple in San Francisco and ultimately moved his followers to a more clandestine site in Guyana. While Jones was preaching in San Francisco, he helped out many local and even national campaigns and was seen as a healer which much power in the community. However, once he had all of his members in Jonestown, his personality changed. Away from the constraints of American soil, Jonestown and its members became very cultish.