History of the Amish (Part 8)

By Magda Adriana

July 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

We previously discussed how the Amish in Europe struggled because many emigrated to the United States. In 1937, the last Amish in Europe merged with Mennonite congregations.

The Amish in North America also struggled to keep the church united. The American Revolution challenged the church’s place in American society, while many Amish, especially young people, were attracted by the wave of revivalism of those days. By 1800, only about 1,000 Amish remained.

Movements and Growth of the Amish church in North America

The American-born Amish had hardly begun putting down roots in new western settlements, like Holmes and Wayne County, Ohio when hundreds of European Amish immigrants began arriving on North American shores. Eventually, totalling some 3,000 people, the 19^th century Amish newcomers were fleeing the political and military consequences of life in post-Napoleonic Europe (where obliged military service became more and more standard) or looking simply to improve their economic lot in life. Most new immigrants settled in western Amish communities, such as Ohio and Indiana. Also, this new wave of immigrants founded the first Amish settlement in Canada (Ontario). If needed, newcomers could profit from the Amish practice of mutual aid.

Like other immigrants, the Amish often moved to find cheaper land, better soil, or better living circumstances. Still, some also did so to escape conflict and church difficulties in their home communities or for other personal reasons. The forces of migration changed the size and geographic center of the church. By 1851, for example, the area with the largest Amish congregation was no longer Lancaster, Pennsylvania, but rather central Illinois.

Regional meetings of Amish leaders were held to align doctrine and daily practices with those of neighbouring communities (approximately every 4-5 years). Topics could vary, such as clothing, fancy furniture, or baptism. However, prior to 1862, these meetings were always regional and occasional; each congregation was formally self-governing.

Since the economic situation in the United States improved and thus the Americans' lifestyle, the Amish’s emphasis on simplicity became more relevant. However, some Amish communities were more open to change, while others were more traditional-minded. Several change-minded churches gathered in meeting houses, and some even sponsored Sunday school programs. Despite the growing rift between tradition-leaning and change-minded church members, the Amish remained nominally united, with those on both sides generally recognizing one another and sharing communion.

Politics, Civil War, and Amish Views

Some Amish, especially of the change-minded wing, were active in various public ways, such as township supervisors, overseers of the poor, school directors, assessors, road overseers, auditors, and tax collectors. But how far would Amish involvement of civic-minded Amish in American politics extend when the Civil War broke out in 1861? Some Amish did join the Union Army. However, most used the legal means available to avoid such service. State and later federal draft laws typically allowed men to pay a commutation fee (often $300) or hire substitutes to muster in their place. However, some Amish leaders saw this practice as hypocritical.

Even if they did not join the military themselves, the Amish sometimes suffered the consequences of the war when it reached their communities. Some saw a warning of God in the war. A bishop in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, saw a struggle in his church that reminded him of the schism between the American North and South. Just as two different sections of the nation had previously chosen divergent social, economic, and political paths, so too had change-minded and tradition-minded Amish set out on apparently incompatible means of relating to the world. For many Amish, the choice became especially acute in the 1860s, the decade in which the United States painfully struggled to remain united. The Amish church also struggled during those years – and ultimately would divide.

We will see how this happened in the next article.

To be continued in September issue.

Primary source: “A History of the Amish” by Steven M. Nolt