Jonestown was a community built by the Peoples Temple in Guyana that ended in tragedy with a death toll of 918 people. “Founded in 1956 by Jim Jones, the Peoples Temple accepted everyone into its church and focused on helping people in need. Jones originally founded the Peoples Temple in Indianapolis, Indiana, but then moved it to Redwood Valley, California in 1966. Jones had a vision of a communist community, where everyone lived together in harmony and worked for the common good. (Rosenberg). In 1973, Jim Jones rented land in Guyana, South America, for his dream community. The Peoples Temple soon after sent people to clear the land to build houses and install fences for isolation. Jonestown was named after their leader, the all-powerful Jim Jones. Jones grew up in a poor family and told his followers that his family wasn't as loving when he was a child and that they were lucky to have someone who cared for them like he did. He could speak like no one else and had full confidence even with his slight stammer that followed him into adulthood. He founded Peoples Temple at a young age and soon had many followers. Everyone appreciated him for his community work, work for African American equality and his humble ways. Many people said that the feeling of acceptance was blind to what was really happening behind the scenes. Everyone thought generous people had donated money to Jones for the community, but “elderly members handed over their Social Security checks, working adults donated 25% of their salaries to the church, and some gave away all their property ”. (Unknown). The people who joined the People's Temple gave up everything they owned and gave their money to the Temple to finance it while saving a small amount of change at...... middle of paper ......rt, and beyond 900 people with their whole lives ahead of them in a good 10 minutes were dead. If 10 minutes and a little cleaning is all it takes, then who's to say we won't face it again? Then, again and again. Jonestown is a tragedy, but a lesson. The bodies were shipped to Delaware and autopsies were performed on only 7 people. The bodies had been left in the sun so long that they had begun to rot. Most of the identified bodies have not been claimed and many (especially children) cannot be identified. Families were alerted, but many did not want to say that their families were involved in any of this. Some said they were too embarrassed or didn't have the money to bury their loved ones. Those 408 bodies were buried in Evergreen Cemetery and after 33 years of waiting a memorial was finally built. “People want to be loved,” Wilson (a survivor) said. "And well-groomed." (James).