History of Amish

Brief History of the Amish
In 1693 a Swiss farmer and bishop named Jacob Amman
broke away from the Mennonite church. Those that
followed him were to become known as Amish. Jacob
Amman was extremely conservative and insisted that
discipline within the church be preserved by
excommunication.
In the early 1700's the first large group of Amish arrived
in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania. Today Amish sects
can be found in 22 US states and Canada.

Amish Lifestyle
The Amish live a strict religious lifestyle. They believe
that in order to attain eternal life that they must separate
from those not of their belief. Home, family, and
community are an intricate part of the Amish lifestyle.
They are skilled farmers and craftsmen. The Amish do not
farm for a profit but farm in order to provide food for their
families. Most Amish farms are small and since they shun
modern technology of any kind the fields are ploughed by
use of animal driven equipment.
The sense of community is extremely prevalent in Amish
society. The Amish have no want or need for insurance. If
a mans barn were to burn down the rest of the community
would simply build him a new one.
The more conservative Amish are referred to as Old Order
Amish. They dress in an extremely conservative style.
Hooks and eyes are used in place of buttons. Clothing is
home made and quite plan and drab in colour. Humility is a
concept very important to their way of life and therefore
clothing as well as furnishings are very plain and always
serve a purpose in their lifestyle.
The Amish women and girls wear dresses made from solid
colour fabric, with long sleeves. The dresses have a full skirt
and are never shorter than mid shin. They never cut their hair,
which is worn up in a bun. On their heads they wear a prayer
covering . A white one if single a black one if married. The Amish women wear no jewellery. The adult men always wear a beard but never a moustache.
Their clothing is likewise home made and plain in colour and style.

Amish teenagers
The Amish, of course, are a Christian sect concentrated
in Pennsylvania, Indiana and Ohio. They shun technology, including electricity; they drive horses and
buggies; and they wear plain clothes. It's a demanding
life, to be sure, but one that most return to after a period
in their teenage years called rumspringa, a Pennsylvania
Dutch term meaning "running around."
Typically, this means driving cars, dating and other
mostly harmless forms of partying. Amish faith and life
are one woven strand, inseparable from each other.

Amish children are not allowed to ride fancy bikes.
However, some communities allow plain bikes with no
decorations, and only manual brakes. The bikes are not
allowed in colors but are all uniformly silver.

Amish children and even adults may travel with wheels.
What kind? Well, skate wheels. They won't be found
wearing the faster inline skates, but the old fashioned four
wheel skates.

Other activities Amish children enjoy include baseball
only they don't play competitively. It isn't winning that is
important in an Amish game of baseball but in playing for
the fun and exercise. Baseball is played at recess from
school also. It is a favourite game.

Amish children go to one room schools within walking
distance of their homes. They are called "Young Scholars"
by their family. The children are expected to concentrate
on their work and do the best they can.
Their teachers are young, unmarried women from the
community. They learn the basics of reading, writing,
arithmetic, as well as German and English.

Even though Amish children go to school from first to 8th
grade only, they are well educated in the basics. Some will
graduate and go into programs to learn how to work in
various Amish approved businesses. Others will work with
their fathers on the farm. The girls will learn everything
they need to know to be a wife and mother. They will learn
to sew quilts, bake cakes and cookies, take care of babies,
clean house. Both boys and girls will learn how to drive
the wagons, and buggies used by the Amish instead of
cars

Rumspringa
It's a tradition that would shock the most open-minded
American parent. When they turn sixteen, boys and
girls are allowed to live free of the strict Amish codes of
conduct until they decide whether or not they want to
be baptized and join the Amish church. This period of
time is called rumspringa which literally means
"running around."

Running Around the Devil's Playground
For two years, Lucy Walker lived among Amish teenagers who
were testing the boundaries of their new freedom. Her
documentary, Devil's Playground, borrows its name from the
Amish term for the American way of life.

Whether they choose to live with their parents or move out
of the house during rumspringa, teenagers can live like
typical American teenagers, go shopping in a mall, wear
jeans, watch TV, date, and go to unsupervised parties. Do
any teens return?
"You'd think that teenagers wouldn't go for it, but what's
astonishing is that almost all of them come back. In fact,
more come back now than ever before." — Lucy

Making an Adult Decision
Although Amish children are taught it is against their
religion to talk about their religion, to be filmed, or to
stand out in a crowd, Emma was one of the teenagers who
agreed to participate in Lucy's TV-documentary. She also
chose not to join the Amish church, a decision that could
have cost Emma her connection to her family forever.

"I'm never going back; that's my personal choice. I still
respect the Amish. They're still my people. I love my
family, but there were too many things that were kept
from me." — Emma

Extracts from ”Young Amish children help out at home and on the farm”.

http://beawriter.tripod.com/amishchildren.html