High levels of testosterone has for many years been blamed for aggressive behavior in males. Paul Bernhardt, a professor in chemistry at University of Utah, disapproves this theory. High levels of testosterone are often seen in successful businessmen and athletes. However, high levels of testosterone as well as low levels of serotonin are what can lead to aggressive behavior. According to Bernhardt, this occurs because high levels of testosterone are connected with dominance-seeking behavior. Lack thereof causes frustrations, which serotonin is supposed to control. Therefore, a combination of high levels of testosterone and low levels of serotonin may be very dangerous, because the frustrations won’t be regulated and can therefore lead to aggressive behavior. This may explain Jones’ behavior. It is safe to say, that Jones had a need to be in control. He didn’t let his followers do anything without his consent. When a congressman from California traveled to Jonestown to see what was really going on, Jones had him executed, and immediately after demanded his followers to drink the poison. The interference from the government might have scared Jones because that interference could possibly cause him to lose his cult and thereby his power and control. With the high levels of testosterone as well as low levels of serotonin in Jones’ body, he wasn’t able to
“Hurry my children, hurry, Jim Jones told his followers as they drank the poison that ended their lives”(Streissguth 1). James Warren Jones was an American religious leader who was born on May 13, 1931 and died on November 18, 1978. Jones soon became known as the leader of a cult called “ The People’s Temple”. Jim Jones initiated and was responsible for a mass murder and mass suicide in Jonestown, Guyana. Mass murder and mass suicide committed by Jim Jones and the government as a part of the massacre are two theories surrounding the mystery behind “The Jonestown Massacre”.
The “Lessons from Jonestown” article from the American Psychological Association explains what happened in Jonestown, Guyana and why it happened. The members of the church wanted to leave the United States to escape racism, so they agreed to follow Jim Jones to South America. They hoped to live more peaceful, happy lives, but their lives were cut short due to a mass suicide led by Jones. Psychologists, such as Philip Zimbardo, believe that Jones’ success came partially from George Orwell’s book, “1984.” This book explained different facets of mind control and how it is executed, and there are many parallels between the examples in the book and in Jim Jones’ church. In the case of Jim Jones and Jonestown, an extremely intelligent leader played
Do you ever wonder how Benjamin Franklin helped shape our country? He contributed greatly in shaping our country including signing the Constitution, helping launch schools, fire departments and printing shops and helping to unite countries. Not only did he do all of that, he was also the only founding father who signed all four key documents establishing the United States which include the United States Constitution, Declaration of Independence, Treaty of Alliance with France, and the Treaty of Paris. Ben Franklin was a leading compromiser that helped shape our country because he encouraged people to repeal the Stamp Act, he helped make an alliance with France, and he went to the Constitutional Convention and signed the United States Constitution.
Americans have always been in search for bigger answers to life and seeking spiritual enlightenment. In the 1970’s new religions started to emerge many people flocked to new ideals and beliefs seeking a higher enlightenment. As a result of people searching for the meaning of life or a higher power, religious cults became prevalent in American society in the 1970’s.
Jimmy Carter was the 39th president of the United States. Jimmy grew up on a small family farm and later became president in 1976. His presidency was a rocky road where people only remembered the mistakes that he made. Carter had a very traditional childhood, he did some major positive thing while he was president, but he also made some mistakes, and he will always be remembered as a president whose mistakes outweighed his triumphs.
“Jim Jones of the Peoples’s Temple began as a sound, fairly mainstream Christian minister” (Sects, ‘Cults’ & Alternative Religions). Before all the madness Jones seemed like a caring person, that wanted to bring peace to a town he made, Jonestown. Instead it turned into something more horrific. Jim Jones was the manipulative mastermind behind the traumatic events that happened in Jonestown, Guyana, this essay will discuss interviews by people who are survivors of the mass suicide, and dive into the crazy conspiracies that have emerged, and finally conclude with the death of the Peoples Temple.
Resocialization is defined by the dictionary as the process of learning new attitudes and norms required for a new social role. In essence, the members of Peoples Temple were certainly brainwashed and taught new values and beliefs that were in actuality the standards of Jim Jones. I believe Jim Jones appeared at a time where people desperately wanted to spread peace and love throughout their communities. He appeared at the lowest point of a lot of people’s lives like drug addicts and the less fortunate. Moreover, these people needed a clear path of guidance from a leader that could possibly grant them a miracle. In the words of a past member of Peoples Temple named Hue Fortson, “Jim Jones said If you see me as your father, I’ll be your father. If you see me as your god, I’ll be your
Benjamin O. Davis Sr. was a very important figure in United States history, and military history. Benjamin Davis Sr was the first African-American military general. Back during the Spanish American war he volunteered to fight, and he stayed in the military and worked his way up the ranks. During the time he served, African-American people did not get the respect they deserved, so that means he had to work twice as hard to make his way his way up. Davis was a very important figure to the military and the world; he showed people no matter what race you can accomplish anything with hard work.
Nat Turner struck back at the slave system with violence because he considered himself a prophet and felt that killing white people was God’s will. The original family that owned him gave him access to white children school books.The worst treatment of Nat Turner received as a slave was from Thomas Moore, who gave him a thrashing after Nat suggested that the slaves ought to be free and would be one day or another. I would not consider this abuse because many slaveholders would punish a slave for speaking against slavery. As a young adult, Nat Turner is said to have practically memorized all of the Old Testament. The Old Testament, the slave church, and extensive fasting deepened his faith, and he used his faith to justify his actions. As a Baptist preacher, he got the support of other slaves and was able to travel around the town and learn the layout of the land. He was also able to gain confidence in himself and his ability to complete what he thought was
In 1953, Arthur Miller wrote the famous play The Crucible, in response to a fear of Communism The “Red Scare”, was led by Senator Joseph McCarthy, who was afraid of communist takeover. The Crucible a play in which Arthur Miller changes some events of the Salem witch trials of 1692 to the problems that were happening in his own society. In this essay we’ll see the ties between The Crucible, McCarthyism , The witch trials and Puritans.
Jesse James was born on September 5, 1847 to his parents Zerelda and Robert James in Clay County, Missouri. Jesse James had a brother named Franklin James and a sister named Susan James. Jesse’s father left him when he was just a young boy and the mother eventually got remarried with Benjamin Simms.
Andrew Young was born into a middle class family in New Orleans, and from a young age he knew what he believed in and was always very passionate about it. He was a very important civil rights leader, and still is today. Throughout his life he has made some amazing accomplishments, gotten incredible awards, and has made major changes in the civil rights movement.
The 1950s to the 1980s were a time filled with social change within the US. These people fought for deserved justice in multiple places of controversy, such as race. Partly as a result of this, came on a wave of organizations and cults, all with their own agendas. The People’s Temple was among these, ran by a former reverend, Jim Jones. The organization started small in 1956 as a racially integrated church. Slowly, it marched its way to 1978 on the fateful day when its members “drank the Kool-Aid” as a revolutionary act of suicide. This suicide, however, involved the poisoning of 918 people, a third of whom were children. These facts led to the conclusion that it was a coerced suicide. This 20-year transformation from integrated
Cults bring fear in the hearts and eyes of the public, but do citizens know how Jim Jones managed to seduce so many people to join his cult, the Peoples Temple? The Peoples Temple was previously loved in the public eye, as they aided anti-segregation groups and community work, but were eventually relocated in Jonestown, Guyana, under the paranoid eyes of Jim Jones, where they were found dead in a mass-suicide. The ways Jim Jones managed to bring in as many followers as he did are still widely debated to this day. Jim Jones, the leader of the Peoples Temple, manipulated his members to join his sadistic, sinister cult and blindly follow him until their eventual deaths by using threats, blackmail, and brutal punishments.