The Amish

The Amish, without their electricity, cars, and television appear to be a static culture, never changing. This is just an illusion. The Amish are a self-motivated culture which is, through market forces and other means, continually interacting with the enormously tempting culture of America. The Amish have not only survived as a gemeinschaft type of society, but has grown and flourished while surrounded by a culture that would seem to be so detrimental to its basic ideals. The Amish, through population growth, resistance to outside culture, compromise, and a strong religious values have managed to hold off an outside culture that waits to enclose them.

The Amish, have largely remained an agricultural society. Amish farms tend to resemble most family farms. They are small and self-sufficient, made to meet the needs of the family. Unlike most farmers who have hired help, the Amish can rely on their children and large families for help on the farm. Recently, however, economic necessities and land prices have forced a growing proportion of younger Amish off the farm and into other business ventures. The most common of these are carpentry, handcrafts, blacksmithing, dry goods, etc. In Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, loss of farm land to development, as well as a large population increases of both Amish and outsiders, have crowded the remaining farms. Amish, however, do not completely restrict change or social interaction with the outside world. They also have to compromise with the outside world to survive. Most of these compromises are limited to farming and have economic roots such as competing with non-Amish farms that are necessary to insuring Amish survival. Amish tend to use tractors without rubber tires as well as using the tractor instead of draft horses in the field. The New Order Amish use of tractors in the field provides them with the competitive edge they need to remain in the agricultural business. Some Old and New order Amish have invented ways to have farm equipment pulled by draft horses but powered by a built-on engine, these devices are called "Amish tractors." While there are many more compromises, the main purposes of compromise is to remain as a competitor in the agriculture and shop economy.

The Amish educational system is very unique and reminiscent of the educational system of the 19th century. Amish children usually attend single-room school houses until the eighth grade, taught by a young unmarried women. Amish schools do not focus on religion, though there is a strong emphasis on Christian values. Most Amish don't attend high school and college is not permitted and because Amish youth are kept from high school and college, they do not have the opportunity to assimilate modern ideas or philosophies that could lead them stray. While the Amish educational system may seem inadequate for today's world, it fits perfectly into Amish society, preparing Amish youth for further roles in Amish society. A ruling by the US Supreme Court in 1972 (Wisconsin v. Yoder) recognized their right to limit education of their children. Amish education also serves as a major way to prevent socialization by the outside world. It is the Amish way of asserting social control over its youth to remain distinct from the rest of society.

The Amish take religion very seriously. Amish church services do not take place at a single site but rather the church moves around to the houses of church members. It also serves the purpose of reinforcing the philosophy that the people are the church and that religion is central to the Amish way of life. Men and women are separated at church services and enter from separate doors. The Amish believe in voluntary baptism, which some consider odd, but voluntary baptism serves an important purpose. It allows Amish youth to experiment with the outside world and see if they wish join the Amish church and make the permanent commitment of living a godly life. Amish youth often become members of their church because of the secure life that church membership provides.

With an average of seven children per family, the Amish population increases significantly every generation. Since the Amish don't have cars and remain largely in agriculture, families tend to stay together and keep in close contact, unlike in urban societies. This has allowed for extremely large extended families with much interaction. These large families provide the foundation of Amish society and for the welfare of other family members. The large Amish extended families provide good job security as well as business opportunity. This strong