The Amish Movement

"As a church, if we see or experience something that is not good for us spiritually, we will discipline ourselves to do without [it]…that is what it means to be Amish,". The Amish, also known as the Anabaptists, originally lived in Alsace, a small country between France and Germany. Numbering about 5,000, the Alsatian Amish led an unsettling life due to the tumultuous conditions of their time. As involuntary immigrants, the Amish escaped to America in hopes of establishing a "..place in which they and their children could follow ..the clear teachings of Christ." Struggling to sustain the beliefs of their forefathers in the late nineteenth century, the Amish secured rules which adhered to their morals and values. The religious beliefs of the Amish people greatly influenced their emigration to America, their integration with society and their civilization in the new world.

Seeking a life with more economic and religious stability, the Amish hoped to escape the disturbing situation in Europe in the early nineteenth century. In 1792 after Louis XVI had been executed, Maxmilien Robespierre became the ruler of France, Germany, and Alsace. Hoping to maintain peace, Robespierre encouraged his officials.." to exercise the same kindness towards [the Amish] as is their character." For a few years the Amish lived in peace as second-class citizens and a French journalist described them as being "..expert in all lines of industry," and "..to their credit be it said that, unlike many others, they pay their debts..[and] are honest..and of good moral character.". However, in 1799, conditions changed when Napoleon Bonaparte took reign. Giving the Amish equal rights, and "equal civic responsibilities," Bonaparte insisted that they become soldiers and participate in the war. Responding with mixed feelings, some Amish went to war, while others went into hiding. Due to the scattering of the followers, the Amish Church was weakening and many outside pressures tempted the Amish people to join the "cultural melting pot in Europe." Fearing the breakdown of their family, the Amish were forced to go to America. To them, America seemed like the land of opportunity and a few Amish had already settled there a century earlier. Many encouraging letters came from the Amish in America; for instance, an Amish woman in Illinois wrote to her relatives describing America as a land where "...you can have as many cattle as you want.. and the land is much more productive." To have a chance for economic and religious prosperity, many Amish were tempted to leave the land of their forefathers. On July 1817, Hans Nussbaum, a young Amish man "boarded a frigate at Amsterdam" to make his journey to America. In a letter to his friends in Alsace, he describes the rations on the ship as… "Monday, one pound meal [per family].". With such rations and harsh conditions, Nussbaum reached America 3 months later on October 9^th. However the harshness of the trip can be noted as Nussbaum tells his relatives... "the sleepy and lazy may as well stay at home." Approximately 3,000 Amish migrated to America between 1815-1860, and settled in Ohio, Illinois, Indiana, Ontario, Pennsylvania, New York, and Iowa. In Europe, after the1900s, there were a few Amish left but even they disappeared due to the lack of religious tolerance, and outside pressures.

Facing many overwhelming circumstances and an enduring struggle to secure their beliefs, the Amish attempted to settle into the diverse community of America. When the Amish first came to America, they faced great apprehension from American citizens, however, native Americans welcomed the new immigrants, and many Amish already in America helped their European relatives. Though some settled in Pennsylvania, many young families still hoped to move West for better farmland and weather. However, out west, the Amish were faced with new circumstances such as tornadoes and hurricanes, and were often forced to move because they could not make enough money. For instance, William J. Overholt, who traveled with his family to Texas describes the conditions as: "...At times we didn’t have enough water to drink or to use in cooking... [and]… if our Conestoga wagon was a "ship of the prairie," it most certainly did not have smooth sailing." With such arduous trips and no guarantee of success, the Amish "...considered themselves fortunate to make a few dollars to keep soul and body together.". An Amish man named Abraham S. Miller who settled in Oklahoma in 1893, described early life as-- "…Many made dugouts to live in. Some of them were covered with soil and [had] one door." Another problem that Miller faced was that "...prairie chickens were so plentiful that they would destroy whole fields of grain if left in the field too long." Also, even if the grain survived, to sell it was difficult because "...the nearest railroad towns were El Reno and Kingfisher both sixty miles away.". Furthermore, the new lives of the Amish harmed their church life greatly. Moving away from their strict religious life, many Amish became "liberal", and an Amish minister named David Beiler said that he honestly believed that "...if many of the church members would have carried on 60 years ago as they do today…they would have been excommunicated as unworthy members." Joining political parties, and enjoying the luxuries, many of the Amish, ironically, joined the cultural melting pot which they had tried so hard to avoid in Europe. Seeing the corruption of the commodities, the Amish church took authority over the adults, and established an official place for the communities to meet. In 1863, the Amish from Pennsylvania, Indiana, and Ohio met together to discuss laws and make stricter rules. However, this meeting only succeeded in showing the vast differences that needed separation. In 1865, a schism occurred between the Old Order Amish, those who wanted to follow strict laws and live a life of simplicity and the Amish Mennonites, those who believed in being liberal and using present commodities. Consisting of about 5,000 people, the Old Order Amish established strict laws to accommodate for the new circumstances they faced in America and they "…mind[ed] and promise[d] to strive for simplicity and uniformity of all things." Author Steven M. Nolt describes Old Order Amish life as being "…like that of other rural Americans—family, fun, and strenuous labor combined to challenge the elements of weather and economic predictability."

Helping them honor the beliefs of their ancestors, the new rules allowed the Amish to follow their forefathers in their way of life. Fulfilling their "…desire and aim to live simply and in peace with one another," and following beliefs that adhere to their culture, the Amish lead a simple life which shuns worldly affairs and gives more importance to the family and home. Amish families are large and stable with age bestowing social status. The Amish people lead a difficult and hard-working life. Describing her life, an Amish woman said, "...We got up at 4:30 a.m. to milk our cows... [and] it usually takes me two hours to do my wash [by hand].". Amish do not spend money buying clothes because clothes are sewn at home, and styles are not ever-changing. Over the decades, Amish dress code has changed slightly with men wearing more matching clothes and having a distinction between work clothes and church clothes. Women’s dresses have become more colorful, but not fancy. Their style of dressing according to an Amish man is due to their "...modesty…and for the sake of uniformity.". Their way of dressing is influenced a lot by their way of life. An Amish farmer said, "...our discipline thrives on the man walking behind the plow, not the man…trying to build a superstructure.". With their highly agrarian economy, the Amish are masters at producing productive farms which do no necessarily benefit them because most of the money they get from farms they re-invest into buying animals, and simple tools. The farm is the center of an Amishman’s life. Their main crop used to be tobacco, but due to the misuse of the crop, they now mostly grow corn and wheat. Children are expected to help with the farm before and after school. Amish schools are usually red-colored one-roomed schoolhouses with approximately 25 old wooden desks. The information they are taught in school is reflected in this poster found in one schoolroom - "May your life be like arithmetic - Friends added, Enemies subtracted, sorrows divided, joys multiplied.". An Old Order Amish minister noted that Amish school "...emphasizes informal learning-through-doing, a life of goodness, rather than a life of intellect; wisdom, rather than technical knowledge; community welfare, rather than competition, and separation, rather than integration with contemporary worldly society." Amish children are educated in reading, writing, arithmetic and English, but no religion is taught at school. Children are educated only up to eighth grade because the Amish believe that "…too much worldly wisdom is poison.". After school ends everyone heads home. Amish homes are white, plain, and beautiful with kitchens, bathrooms, living rooms, and bedrooms. Some of the walls are movable to accommodate for large gatherings and the kitchen usually has many cabinets to store food to feed the guests. Over the years Amish have modernized a bit by using hydraulic powered refrigerators and washers and dryers that are operated on natural gas. The Amish have had a great impact on the society and many Amish neighbors believe that "...the Amish economy spills out to affect the whole local economy." Their simple life has increased tourism in Pennsylvania and Old Order Amish became characters in books, films, and Broadway. The strength and unity of their communities serve as a model for a good life, and "…what distinguishes Amish communities is the unity of their religious faith, the motivation to practice their beliefs in daily life as consistently as possible, and the depth of their community experience." Many Americans are attracted to Amish life because it is less stressful and they find it respectable that "they stand by the ethics that their forefathers have passed down." Also, the Amish have provided their American neighbors with beautiful quilts and furniture. Providing one-fifth of America’s milk, Amish dairy farms are cherished by the US government to an extent that they changed its rules to suit the Amish. Furthermore, many farmers are following the Amish way of farming by the rotation of crops, indoor feeding of cattle, meadow irrigation, and the use of natural fertilizers. A non-Amish noted that "…much of what is obsolescent in modern society remains functional in Amish commonwealth." The Amish have a great impact on the people they meet, not by showing off, but by remaining quiet and following their beliefs. A newspaper columnist who had his first encounter with an Amish man described him as an individual whose "…integrity and character were more important than a monetary windfall which he had not earned and to which he was not ethically entitled." As passionate people, they extend their help out to everyone by establishing Amish Aid Societies, and they often hold auctions to help their non-Amish neighbors. Society, time, and new innovations have succeeded in modernizing the Amish. Not wanting to attract attention to themselves, Amish buggies were very plain and simple. However in the 1950s, laws were passed which required all vehicles to have reflective triangles and flashing red lights at night. Though they were hesitant at first, the Amish eventually agreed to use them. Also, the interior of the buggy has been affected by the technology around it. For instance, solid colored carpets cover the floors and windshield wipers can be found on windows. The Amish aren’t allowed to own phones, but they can have a "community phone." Other changes that have taken place in farming include hay balers, dairy tanks, and chemical fertilizers. Also, Amish communities are generally similar but do have regional differences. For instance, an Amish community in Clarita, Oklahoma uses tractors in their farming because the dry land of Oklahoma is difficult to farm. Also, farming is not the main occupation in Clarita; instead this Amish community focuses mainly on dairy farms.

The devout philosophies of the Amish people greatly affected their journey to America, their unity with society and their culture in the new world. Their migration to America had great historical significance because their morals and values not only influenced the American way of thinking but they also influenced the attitudes of many immigrants around them. Struggling to fit into society without losing their ethical values, the Amish relied on their old methods to settle into America. As the only immigrants who spread their culture without any concessions, the Amish proved to America that there are better ways for organizing social and family life. For instance, Wendell Berry, who is thought to be the modern Thoreau, believes that "...[the Amish] alone as a community have carefully restricted their use of machine-developed energy and so have become the only true masters of technology." The Amish have not adjusted to society, but society has adjusted to the Amish. Though they do not like to draw attention to themselves, the Amish people have spread their culture and ideas and influenced many people from various backgrounds, races, and ages. The Amish way of life has helped reshape the American community and the "...Amish function…as a kind of sacred community in a secular society, reminding the rest of society of its own ideas, as well as the contradictions that develop between practices."