Running head: AMISH COMMUNITY 1

Amish Community
Jennie Ong

AMISH COMMUNITY 2
Abstract
The Amish people are a community of individuals who hold their traditions of simple living, self-labor, and isolation very highly. Eastern parts of the United States as well as Canada are the most common areas where Amish communities are established. The group originated from Switzerland and received their name from their leader Jakob Ammann who, during the 18th century, led their immigration to Pennsylvania. Despite their customary values of seclusion, the Amish still experience the equal degrees of obstacles as any other organization may face. The Amish do not have the merchandises or products of the mainstream society, but they still remain successful in preserving their culture and beliefs by continuing to live with their traditional ways.

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Amish Community In the Western parts of the United States, it is uncommon to come across a person following the Amish culture but in most parts of Eastern America such as Pennsylvania Indiana, or even Canada, it is a norm. The Amish or Amish Mennonites are a group of Anabaptist Christians known for their simplistic living, old-fashioned clothing, and their opposition to modernization such as the use of electric appliances. Also known as “The Plain People” or Old Order Amish, they originated in Switzerland in approximately 1693 during the reformation of the 18th century in Europe with a man named Jakob Ammann as their leader. Traditions and seclusion from the rest of the world were and still are important aspects in their culture. The Anabaptists were against the unification of involving religion with the state and as well as being against infant baptism. They felt that each individual has their own right to decide for him or herself whether or not to join the church when he or she is old enough with the appropriate age set being at eighteen years old. Unfortunately, these beliefs did not correspond with the regulations of the 18th century making it illegal to be baptized as an adult. Keeping their faiths and virtues strong, many Anabaptists died for following their beliefs and those who followed their leader Jakob Ammann became known as the Amish (Amish, 2012).

In the early 18th century, the Amish began immigrating to Pennsylvania for several different reasons with their population in the United States increasing 10% every two years. Amish church groups practice to preserve a level of separation from the non-Amish society with requiring numerous Amish members to deny purchase of insurance or accepting government assistance such as social security. As Anabaptists, Amish church

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members have to practice nonresistance and the refusal to perform any type of military service. Members who do not wish to conform to these expectations and who cannot be convinced to atone are excommunicated from the community. In addition to excommunication, members are “shunned”, which is a custom that prohibits social contacts to humiliate the rebellious member in returning to the church (Amish outlaws, 2003). The Amish people highly value their rural life, manual labor, and humility. Today as time passes and as the American culture becomes more industrialized, the Amish people are pressured by the modern world.

Amish communities located close to the urban expansion often experience a higher degree of population growth and industrialization. Areas that were once rural and consisted mainly of farmland are becoming more modernized (Powell, 2012). The values of the Amish are being mocked with the growth of industrialization occurring close to their communities. Unfortunately, what the Amish people value most about their manual labor is changing right in front of their eyes. About half of the Amish household heads are cultivators and with the expansion of larger societies into farming communities, it has increased the price of farmland and has required the Amish to consent to other, nontraditional methods of labor (Amish, 2012). As mentioned earlier, Amish people value their manual labor and traditions but with society intruding it affects the ways of the Amish community’s agriculture. Farming is a significant part of the community and if non-Amish people continue to expand where these people cultivate, it minimizes the living space of the Amish people. Industrialization is one of most difficult problems that the Amish community faces.
AMISH COMMUNITY 5 The Amish people try to avoid bringing attention to themselves, and are extremely cautious with the dangers of arrogance and self-worth. Tourism among the communities has increased and threatens the humble values that the people hold close to their culture. Non-Amish people are just so fascinated in the plain apparel they wear and the manner in which they interact with each other. Furthermore, the Amish people are just viewed as an attraction for people and the privacy of the community is not respected. Tourists flood the Amish communities in the hopes to catch a brief glimpse of the families working or children playing. In addition to the invasion of personal privacy, the increase in tourism opens their children to the materialistic mainstream of outside society. If the children get a glimpse of how the outside world interacts they may not want to stay and become baptized, making the future Amish communities diminish. Alas, tourism of the communities not only have increased over the years but has also opened up an opportunity for media to interfere with the Amish people’s daily living. The Amish people are misunderstood and occasionally face discrimination and hostility from people outside their communities. During World War I and World War II, Amish nonresistance generated various instances of harassment and young Amish men were left with no other choice but to defend themselves; but they were mistreated (Amish, 2012). A more notable incident that was nationally known occurred in 1997 when Mary Kuepfer, a young Amish woman in Ontario, Canada, was struck in the face by a beer bottle, which was thrown from a passing car. Her injuries were severe and required close attention from specialized doctors. The surgery on her face cost thousands of dollars but the public was so moved by the horrific incident that they made donations
AMISH COMMUNITY 6 to pay for her procedures (Proskauer, 2009).
Unfortunately, the ill treatment of the people in the Amish community still exists in today’s society. Most often at night, the Anti-Amish reaction towards the Amish has taken the form of pelting the horse-drawn carriages used by the Amish with stones or other objects as the carriages pass along a road (Amish outlaws, 2003). Education plays a major role in the treatment of the Amish community. Without the knowledge of the tradition and culture of the Amish people, no respect will be given and demonstrated towards the Amish customs. Discrimination against Amish people is not well known in society, but it continues to exist and issues will resume if there is not a solution. Like any other group that faces discrimination, there are always solutions that must be inputted to reduce incidents of harassment. With the assorted questions that I asked towards my friends and family about the Amish, many of the responses that I received were just related to the way they dressed and appeared such as the way the men’s beards look, their black hats, and the long dresses that the women wear (Ong, 2012). The responses I received just proved that education about the Amish people is limited and no one is really informed about the living situations except for the way they appear. Education of the Amish communities’ traditions and values is significant in reducing discrimination. Without the education of different cultures and society, people would not be able to appreciate and accept the various customs of the Amish people. In conclusion, as the American culture becomes more urbanized, the Amish people are becoming more pressured by the modern world. Industrialization neighboring the Amish community is making it more difficult for the people to stick to their manual
AMISH COMMUNITY 7 labor. In addition, as tourism increases in their community, their personal privacy is not respected and the values of staying away from the non-Amish society is changed. Lastly, the Amish people are misunderstood and often receiving harassment and discrimination. Furthermore, education of the traditions and values of the Amish people can help reduce the pressures that society puts onto the Amish community.

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References
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Powell, A. (2012). Amish 101 - amish culture, beliefs & lifestyle. About.com, Retrieved from http://pittsburgh.about.com/cs/pennsylvania/a/amish_3.htm
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