1 / 21

The Amish in America

The Amish in America. Group 2 Legal History of Minorities Supervisor: Christian Häthén. History of the Amish. The Amish are a group of traditionalist Christian church fellowships, originally of Swiss Anabaptist origins.

hada
Download Presentation

The Amish in America

An Image/Link below is provided (as is) to download presentation Download Policy: Content on the Website is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use and may not be sold / licensed / shared on other websites without getting consent from its author. Content is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use only. Download presentation by click this link. While downloading, if for some reason you are not able to download a presentation, the publisher may have deleted the file from their server. During download, if you can't get a presentation, the file might be deleted by the publisher.

E N D

Presentation Transcript

  1. The Amish in America Group 2 Legal History of Minorities Supervisor: Christian Häthén

  2. History of the Amish • The Amish are a group of traditionalist Christian church fellowships, originally of Swiss Anabaptist origins. • The Amish church began with a religious schism in Switzerland within a group of Swiss and Alsatian Anabaptists in 1693 led by Jakob Ammann. Those who followed Ammann became known as Amish.

  3. The Amish move to America • In the early 18th century, many Amish and Mennonites immigrated to the United States of America. • The migration was sparked by a number of factors • Religious persecution from other Christian groups • Wars • Poverty in Europe. • The Amish who settled in Pennsylvania mainly relocated to Lancaster County but other Amish sub-groups moved to other prominent areas such as Indiana, New York and Michigan.

  4. The Amish split in America • The majority of Amish communities that were established in North America eventually relinquished their Amish identity. • 1860’s: Amish church conferences, Dienerversammlungen, established to discuss methods to adapt to modern society. • These meetings were boycotted by traditionalist Amish. • 2/3of the group chose to remain progressive and later united with the Mennonite Church in the early 20th century. • 1/3 who chose to retain the traditional way of life became known as Old Order Amish.

  5. The Amish in American Today • As of 2012, over 251,000 Old Order Amish live in the United States spread across 456 settlements, with increasing movement to the West. • Today, the most traditional descendants of the Amish continue to speak Pennsylvania German, also known as "Pennsylvania Dutch". • Old Amish live by the code of Ordnung which stresses the virtues of humility, obedience and simplicity.

  6. Amish Religion History • It is a branch or division of the Swiss Anabaptists and is closely related to the Christian religion. • However, there are some differences: • Scripture based • Separation of church and state • Adult baptism • Called upon by God to lead a “simple life of faith, discipline, dedication and humility”. • Individual practice- not a display to others.

  7. Amish Church Services • Held in community members’ homes every other Sunday. • It’s a time to worship God, preserve community tradition and renew ones faith. • It consists of chanting and singing hymns from the Ausbund- one of the most important books to the Pennsylvania Amish. • These hymns are passed down from generation to generation orally.

  8. Rumspringa • When an Amish child turns 16, they can choose to experience the outside world. • After this time, the child decides whether or not to return back to their Amish community. • They are then baptized as a full member of the community.

  9. Amish Lifestyle • “Not conformed to this world” • They separate themselves by living in small communities and are different in their: • Language: Pennsylvania Dutch, High German and English. • Dress: simplistic and distinctive clothing, reflecting their “faith, purity and social separation from the world”. • Education: formal education up until the eighth grade then vocational schooling. • Family work roles: each family member plays a crucial role and contributes to the family as a whole with work divided by gender roles. • Rules: governed by Ordnung or set of unwritten rules. • Amish shunning

  10. The Amish and the Laws of the United StatesHow the Amish use the law • The Amishacceptthenecessityofgovernment but trytominimize their interactions with it  „strategyofwithdrawal“ • Theypaystateandfederalincometaxesaswellas real estatetaxes • Somevote in elections but holdingpublicofficeisforbiddenforthem • Theyrefusejuryduty

  11. The Amish and the Laws of the United StatesTheir view on courts and lawsuits • They avoid going to court • There is a taboo of civil law suits •  the Amish rely on their own • congregational courts • Instead of reporting crimes the Amish normally deal with them according to Amish church discipline

  12. The Amish and the Laws of the United StatesExemptions from U.S. laws • The Amish formed the National Steering Committee to negotiate with the government • They were granted a great account of religiously based exemptions to generally binding laws • The two most important are: • The freeing of the obligation to send their children to High School (“Wisconsin v. Yoder”–Case) • The exemption from the payment of social security-related taxes

  13. Laws v. RealitySchooling

  14. Laws v. RealitySchooling • Wisconsin v. Yoder – 1972 • Pennsylvania school – The Amish vocational school (1955) • The Hershberger case

  15. Laws v. RealityCompulsory insurance • Responsibility of the state for the elderly – a denial of the faith • Exemptions

  16. Laws v. RealityMedical attention • Forced medical treatment • Expensive medical care • Higher pain threshold

  17. Laws v. RealityDo Amish Use the Law? • Rebellion against the system – un-Christian and unthinkable • Forbidden to take oaths, serve on juries or collect debts on courts (The Witness 1985) • No reports of the violence • Amish beard cutting case

  18. Laws v. RealityDo Amish Use the Law?

More Related