Research Topic: The Amish
Research Question: How do today’s Amish communities compare to those of the past?
The Amish Chapter 1. Directed by David Belton. USA: PBS Distribution, 2012. DVD.
PBS’ documentary gives a depiction on the state of contemporary Amish communities today. It focuses on the role of faith in Amish communities and why these communities have been able to thrive. I was informed of this documentary by professor Sydney Watts and it is not a scholarly source. This documentary helped move my research forward as I got to hear many first hand accounts from various Amish as to what their values are today and how in many ways they remain similar to the values the Amish began with. This showed me that strong religious piety still stands at the forefront of Old Amish communities.
Hostetler, John. 1992. “An Amish Beginning”. The American Scholar 61 (4). The Phi Beta Kappa Society: 552–62.
John Hostetler describes living in an Amish community in first Pennsylvania and then Ohio. He speaks about the overall lack of fulfillment that he felt from farming and his desire to find his higher purpose in life. This piece that I found on JSTOR is an exhibit source. Hostetler’s experience in the community helped my research question because it gave me a relatively contemporary perspective on how a member was not able to find fulfillment or contentment in the community. His view helped show me that the community is not entirely utopian and the difficulty of the society to produce happiness for all of its members.
Lutz, John. 1882. “The Omish”. Western Christian Advocate (1834-1883).
John Lutz focuses his piece on his visit to the Amish community and the various differences that he notices between the Amish community he sees and regular society. I used Proquest to locate this non-scholarly source. This exhibit source helped me begin my research as it gave me a first hand look at how an outsider perceived the Amish community in its initial stages. This was significant in refining my research because it pointed me towards finding an exhibit source that would allow me to compare the Amish of the late 1800’s to the Amish of today.
“One Day in the Life of an Amish Woman.” 1903. The Independent …Devoted to the Consideration of Politics, Social and Economic Tendencies, History, Literature, and the Arts (1848-1921): p. 1393
This narrative speaks about the relatively primitive lives that the Amish live told from the point of view of an Amish woman. She recites her daily routine but most importantly speaks over how content the community is with so little. This exhibit piece that I found on Proquest is not a scholarly source. This narrative described the Amish Community in Lancaster County in a utopian light. The women describes all of her needs being met, and this sense of fulfillment helped me learn how some people felt towards their community at the turn of the 20th century.
Schwieder, Elmer, and Dorothy Schwieder. 1976. “The Paradox of Change in the Life Style of Iowa’s Old Order Amish”. International Review of Modern Sociology 6 (1). International Journals: 65–74.
The Schwieder’s focused on the variation that exist between various communities especially those in Iowa, Minnesota, and Missouri. However, even as some establishments are able to make their own rules, leadership, and relationship to Amish people, they still must conform to the general principles of Amish society. This is a scholarly source that I found through JSTOR. This source was crucial in helping me answer specific ways in how the original Old Order Amish has broken up into various different communities with slightly different customs. The community’s openness to the outside world hints at the Amish adapting to changes in society to slightly thwart their original ideas of their utopia.
Wittmer, Joe. “An Educational Controversy: The Old Order Amish Schools”. Phi Delta Kappa International: 52 (1970): 142–45.
Joe Wittmer presents the growing issue of education standards on the Old Order Amish. He concludes his argument by saying that we should allow the Amish to educate their children in whichever manner they feel will preserve their culture and values. I used JSTOR to locate this scholarly source. This source was able to inform me about present day issues that clearly did not exist when the order was first established. This piece answers my question at least partly, in that it helped me learn about the outside pressures that the community faces today that continue to push the Amish towards change.