Essay On Amish Culture

632 Words2 Pages

The Amish Culture Best known for their old-fashioned attire and simple lifestyle, the Amish culture is one of America’s most misunderstood but wildly fascinating cultures. “The Plain People”, as their name suggests, can be found throughout the United States as well as in Canada and Central America; the majority, however are located in Ohio, Pennsylvania and Indiana (Caldwell, 2012). The church is the driving force behind their way of life. Their settlements are found in rural areas because they intentionally separate themselves from modern society. The Amish came to exist in the late 1600s in Europe due to disagreements within the religion between some members and their leader Jacob Amman, a Swiss-German Mennonite. Like most migrators at the time, the Amish traveled to the United States in the 18th century to escape religious persecution. They hail from Anabaptists - those who believe in adult baptism - and they mainly speak Pennsylvania Dutch, German and English. They follow doctrines based on Christ’s teachings on selflessness and humility and they live their lives based on the German word Gelassenheit often translated as “submission” (CAS, 2016). Based on our text’s definition of collectivist and individual culture, the Amish …show more content…

Amish culture is a patriarchy; the eldest man is held in the highest regard. The men are the head of the household and make most of the decisions. They are also responsible for jobs that require heavy labor, like farming. The women are led by their husbands and are responsible for household chores such as cooking and cleaning etc. The Amish only marry within their community and they have considerably large families. The range that most Amish men and women get married is age 19–24. They hardly ever divorce and public displays of affection are rare. At ages 5-6, children begin daily chores and by 14 years old they are working full-time in the family

Open Document