The Amish

The AMISH, the MENNONITES,
and the PLAIN PEOPLE


Who are the Amish? Are they the same as the Pennsylvania Dutch?
The Amish are a religious group who live in settlements in 22 states and Ontario, Canada. The oldest group of Old Order Amish, about 16-18,000 people live in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania. The Amish stress humility, family and community, and separation from the world.
Although Lancaster Amish are Pennsylvania Dutch, all Pennsylvania Dutch are not Amish. The Pennsylvania Dutch are natives of Central Pennsylvania, particularly Lancaster and its surrounding counties. Unlike the Amish, they are not all one religion. Instead, their common bond is a mainly German background (Pennsylvania Dutch is actually Pennsylvania Deutsch, or German). They also have Welsh, English, Scottish, Swiss, and French ancestry.

What is the history of the Amish?
The Amish have their roots in the Mennonite community. Both were part of the early Anabaptist movement in Europe, which took pla...