The Amish

1
The Amish

• by
• Jamie Kalista
• October 2, 2003

2
Outline

• Overview
• Origins
• Location
• Population
• Beliefs
• Dress Code
• Horse Buggy
• School Work
• Church
• Summary
• Credits Related Links

3
Amish Background

• Origins
• 1500s Protestant Reformation -gt Anabaptist
  Legacy
• 1700s -gt America to avoid religious persecution
• Location Population
• 24 states Ontario, CAN
• 150,000 population
• Lancaster County, PA
• 350 mi from Blacksburg
• pop. lt2000 in 1900
• gt18,000 today

4
The Plain People

• Forgo ownership of modern amenities
• Electricity, automobiles, telephones
• Follow their interpretation of the Bible
• Retain solidarity of community
• Principles
• Gelassenheit
• Submission, obedience, humility, simplicity
• Ordnung
• Govern every aspect of daily life
• Differ by community
• Meidung
• Shunning
• For the good of the individual

5
Amish Dress Code

• Simple Non-individual
• Women
• Solid color dresses
• Bonnet and apron
• No hair cuts
• No jewelry
• Men
• Solid color shirt w/ pants
• suspenders
• Beards when married
• No mustaches
• Hats

6
Horse Buggy

• No cars
• Horse Buggy
• Same color design
• Dictated by district
• Why?
• Weakens family-community structure
• Causes vanity
• Creates inequality
• Leads away from close-knit family and community

7
Amish School Work

• School
• Separate schools
• Through 8th grade
• Learn
• Reading
• Writing
• Arithmetic
• Trilingual
• Work
• Roles determined by age and gender
• Males
• Typically farmers, merchants
• Females
• Work in home, restaurants, shops
• Amazing applied botanists

8
Amish Church

• Worship
• No church building
• Biweekly
• No instruments

• Church districts
• Avg. 33 families
• 170 members

9
Summary

• Simple life
• Clothing
• Technology
• Daily life
• Close-knit community
• Strong religious devotion
• Growing larger and stronger

10
Links and Credits

• The Riddle of Amish Culture, Kraybill, D.B.,
  Johns Hopkins University Press, Baltimore, 1989.
• www.amishcountry.org
• About.com
• www.800padutch.com
• http//www.thepeoplesplace.com/
• www.amishcountrylanes.com
• http//members.tripod.com/amishbuggy/buggypic.htm
• http//www.livingpictures.org/amishbuggy.htm