Amish Assimilation in the United States
Amish assimilation in the United States
Amish assimilation in the United States
To begin understanding the Amish style of assimilation we must first try to understand the Amish and their traditional beliefs and culture they brought to the United States during their immigration. Starting in the early 18th century, many of the Amish migrated to the U.S. Most of the members who remained in Europe rejoined the Mennonites. Few Amish congregations existed by 1900. On 1937-JAN-17, the last Amish congregation -- in Ixheim, Germany -- merged with their local Mennonite group and became the Zweibrücken Mennonite Church. The Amish no longer existed in Europe as an organized group (Robinson, 2004). The most distinctive belief of the Amish is reflected in the Bible verse "Be ye not conformed to the world," meaning that one should separate oneself in one 's appearance and practices from the mainstream of society, conforming instead as well as possible to Biblical tradition.
The Amish do not collect social security, unemployment insurance, or welfare. Instead, each Amish community makes sure that everyone 's needs are taken care of. In addition, the Amish community, in the form of small schools, controls education. Education does not usually extend beyond the eighth grade. The most impressive aspect of Amish life is the way in which they appear to be stuck in a time warp: They make an effort to live in the fashion of the 1600 's of their forefathers. They do not usually use automobiles, nor do they use electricity or phones in their homes. Instead, they use horse-drawn buggies, mules or horses to pull farm equipment, oil lamps to light their homes, and so on. Amish clothing is also distinctive: Women wear dresses, usually of a single bold color, a white apron, and black bonnets. The dresses use no buttons or fasteners other than straight pins. Men wear plainly cut black suits and flat-brimmed hats of black felt or straw. Men grow their beards (after marriage) but
Amish assimilation in the United States
To begin understanding the Amish style of assimilation we must first try to understand the Amish and their traditional beliefs and culture they brought to the United States during their immigration. Starting in the early 18th century, many of the Amish migrated to the U.S. Most of the members who remained in Europe rejoined the Mennonites. Few Amish congregations existed by 1900. On 1937-JAN-17, the last Amish congregation -- in Ixheim, Germany -- merged with their local Mennonite group and became the Zweibrücken Mennonite Church. The Amish no longer existed in Europe as an organized group (Robinson, 2004). The most distinctive belief of the Amish is reflected in the Bible verse "Be ye not conformed to the world," meaning that one should separate oneself in one 's appearance and practices from the mainstream of society, conforming instead as well as possible to Biblical tradition.
The Amish do not collect social security, unemployment insurance, or welfare. Instead, each Amish community makes sure that everyone 's needs are taken care of. In addition, the Amish community, in the form of small schools, controls education. Education does not usually extend beyond the eighth grade. The most impressive aspect of Amish life is the way in which they appear to be stuck in a time warp: They make an effort to live in the fashion of the 1600 's of their forefathers. They do not usually use automobiles, nor do they use electricity or phones in their homes. Instead, they use horse-drawn buggies, mules or horses to pull farm equipment, oil lamps to light their homes, and so on. Amish clothing is also distinctive: Women wear dresses, usually of a single bold color, a white apron, and black bonnets. The dresses use no buttons or fasteners other than straight pins. Men wear plainly cut black suits and flat-brimmed hats of black felt or straw. Men grow their beards (after marriage) but
References: Elder, D.R., (2001). ‘Es Sind Zween Weg ' Singing Amish children into the faith Community, 39-67. Retrieved Sept 9, 2005 from http://ist-socrates.berkeley.Edu/~ caforum/volume2/pdf /elder.pdf Esh, D., & Schwartz, P., (2001). Amish rules of living, Ordnung. Retrieved September 8, 2005, From http://www.amishtown.com/Amish/Ordnung.htm Robinson, B, A., (2004). The Amish, The early years in Europe. Retrieved September 10, 2005, From http://www.religioustolerance.org/amish1.htm