Portrait of an American Community
of Swiss Origin since 1945
The first Amish immigrated to the United States between 1719 and 1750. Their belief binds the Amish to lead a traditional life that is pleasing to God. This includes the use of plain clothes, hats or bonnets, uniform styles of hair and beard, a life of farming within their community, the renunciation of use of electricity, and the holding on to the German language. Especially since 1945, the different way of life of the Amish has repeatedly led to confrontations with the American government because some of their religious principles are in sharp conflict with the values of the consumer culture and the laws and regulations of the United States.

During the Cold War the military began to conscript young Amish men for alternative work programs because as conscientious objectors they could not be drafted. Torn away against their will from their family and community, they experienced hard times in these programs.
Many returned home at odds with themselves, while others avoided the culture shock by refusing to serve. The school system was another source of conflict. The Amish object to higher education because it emphasizes self-determination, competitiveness, and worldly success. These goals clash with Amish values such as devotion to the good of the community and the integration of the individual into the community’s way of life. In 1965, Iowa even tried to force Amish children to attend public schools. But in its famous 1972 decision Wisconsin v. Yoder, et al., the Supreme Court of the United States granted the Amish educational freedom. Today the scarcity and high costs of farmland threaten the agrarian base of the Amish family. The Amish, therefore, have started to work in home construction or are engaged in quilt making. Despite these adverse circumstances the Amish population more than doubled between 1974 and 1991. In the Midwest, we find Amish communities mainly in Ohio, Indiana, and increasingly also in Wisconsin.

Websites: Amish:
http://www.religioustolerance.org/amish.htm
http://www.amish-heartland.com/

Amish books:
http://www.amishcountry.org/contacts.and.links/index.php
http://www.mennolink.org/books/amish.html
http://www.amishacres.com/


Website Northern Indiana Amish country:
http://www.amishcountry.org/maps/index.php?map=midwest

Literatur/Literature:
Nolt, Steven M. Peoplehood in a Changing
World: Amish Life Since 1945.
A History of the Amish. (Intercourse, Pennsylvania 1992), 245-285.

Filme/Films:
Multicultural Peoples: The Amish. Multi-cultural
Peoples of North America Video
Series. Baker & Taylor Video 1993.
Amish boy in classroom,
© Action Video, Inc.
Kutsche der Amish in Shipshewana © Bklewitz