History of the Amish (Part 7)

By Magda Adriana

May 1, 2024

History of the Amish Series

Part 1
Part 2
Part 3
Part 4
Part 5
Part 6
Part 7
Part 8
Part 9

The Amish in Europe

The previous article focused on the Amish who migrated to the United States. Let’s return to Europe to see how the Amish developed after many of their friends and family members sailed overseas.

Consequences of the

French Revolution

During most of the 18^th century, the Amish, Mennonites, and other religious minorities were more or less 2^nd class citizens. They had to deal with discrimination and sometimes even persecution from civil and some church authorities. Here and there, a tolerant noble or an aristocrat offered them a safe haven in return for working their land, but this was always an exceptional gift and never a civil right.

This all changed with the French Revolution, even though the Anabaptist groups did not participate in the violence that overthrew the French king and his noble elite and proclaimed freedom, equality, and brotherhood. From then on, everyone was seen as an equal citizen, regardless of who their parents were or what religious group they belonged to. In this way, the French Revolutionary idea of citizenship opened the door for social acceptance that went beyond toleration. But while the Amish potentially were freed from future discrimination and persecution, they also were freed to engage in the process of acculturation and assimilation that accompanied such civic acceptance.

The French revolutionary government did make one distinction for its Amish and Mennonite population. They were granted an exemption from military involvement. In return for this privilege, an extra tax was collected. The privilege lasted only a short time. The rise of Napoleon Bonaparte in 1799 and his crowning as emperor in 1804 changed the lives of nearly all Western Europeans. He filled the next decade with violence, conquering several countries and pushing the revolutionary ideas of equal citizenship to the extent that no one was exempt from its rights and duties.

Even though the Amish and Mennonites officially asked for exemption with a petition three times, it was not granted to them. Some tried to avoid direct participation by hiring a draft substitute or offering alternative military services. Still, several participated in the troops – resulting in conflict in the Amish and Mennonite communities.

Famous Farmers

The Amish developed themselves as good farmers and often established good relationships with the nobles they rented their farms from. Ironically, the outsider status of the Amish fitted them for their role as agricultural innovators. Because they rarely were able to own land, Anabaptist farmers invested their earnings in livestock and other productive assets rather than real estate. The term Anabaptist became nearly synonymous with good farming. The appeal of the Amish as skilled farmers opened a way for them to migrate to other areas as tenants, such as Bavaria.

Leaving the Church or Leaving the Continent

The final fall of Napoleon in 1815 did not end the influence of French Revolutionary thought or slow the state's tendency to usurp the church's moral authority. Moreover, the small political states that rose from the ashes of the French Empire were all brought up on the revolutionary ideals of universal citizenship and the need for standing armies maintained through universal conscription. These developments resulted in two main directions: immigration to America and acculturation as European citizens. The ones who stayed in Europe often grew closer to neighbouring Mennonite communities, for example, by using the same literature. Some churches, especially in the Netherlands and Eastern Europe, even merged with Mennonite congregations.

During wartime in Europe, migration was not easy. But after 1815, sea travel became more regular and safe, and between 1820 and 1860, more than five million Europeans left for Canada or the United States, from which some twenty-seven percent were German speakers and around 3,000 were Amish.

The rapid loss of members and leaders during these years weakened the church that remained in Europe. At times, nearly an entire congregation from Bavaria or Hesse left together as a large group. Several Amish communities in those regions were so diminished that they eventually disbanded.

Main source: A History of the Amish

by Steven M. Holt

To be continued in July 2024 issue