The Amish
Can you name these states?
THE AMISH
A gentle people living a simple life
Where do the Amish Live?
First . . .
• Read the article
• Answer the questions on the back
• Discuss the answers with a partner
Who are the Amish?
• Christian denomination
• Known for their simple living, plain dress and for
resisting modern conveniences like technology.
• Communities are usually entirely self-sufficient and
separated from the outside world.
• The Amish way of life originated in Switzerland, but
these days exists only in the U.S. (mainly
Pennsylvania) and some parts of Canada.
Typical Amish clothing/dress
The Amish church’s rules
►The rules of the Amish church=the Ordnung
►Strict and must be obeyed by all.
►These rules cover aspects day-to-day living.
►Don’t follow the rules or repent =
excommunicated/shunned from the
church/community.
These rules include:
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No powerline electricity
Limiting the use of phones
Not owning or using motor vehicles
Wearing a specific style of dress
Not buying insurance
Not receiving any form of government welfare
Not serving in the military
Marrying partners from within their own community
Only being schooled up until 8th Grade
Using corporal punishment to discipline children
Practising manual labour, mostly in rural chores
Amish forms of transportation
The “clash of cultures” between
the Amish and the “outside
world” can make for some
unusual observations.
Video: Introduction
• Inside the Amish Church (start 2:00)
Weird Al Yankovic: “Amish Paradise”
Rumspringa
Rumspringa: What is it?
• 14 to 16 years old
• Choose whether to leave the community or be
baptized in the Amish church
• Some go to live in the “English world” to see what
it’s like
• 90% return to the Amish community
Rumspringa
• Documentary: Devil’s Playground
• National Geographic show: Amish: Out of
Order
• Amish in the City
The Amish in popular culture
• Perhaps the most commonly known
of these is the film Witness
• It is about a police investigation into
a murder which an Amish boy
witnessed, and the clash of cultures
which ensues between the
detective and the boy’s community.
• The film won an Oscar for its
screenplay in 1985.
Other films…
• For Richer or Poorer, starring
Tim Allen and Kirstie Alley.
• It is a comedy about a rich city
couple who “hide out”
amongst an Amish community
after being caught by the
government cheating on their
taxes.
The Amish in the News
TOURIST ATTRACTIONS IN
LANCASTER, PENNSYLVANIA
Sights in Lancaster, Pennsylvania
Buggy Rides
Amish Restaurants
Hershey Park