Difficult Dialects: Pennsylvania Dutch Essay example

New Netherlands, later named New York, was originally established by the Dutch West India Company until they gave it up to England in 1664. When a French Jesuit missionary visited New Netherlands, he noted that nineteen different languages were being spoken in the streets. Even after the Dutch gave New Amsterdam to England, it still remained its diversity. Pennsylvania was also known for its ethnic diversity. Quakers, Germans, Scotch-Irish, etc. moved into Pennsylvania and created the “Blue Laws.” Many Germans settled down in southeastern Pennsylvania and northwestern Virginia (Document D). In document C, different ethnic groups came to North America as indentured servants to pay off their passage. Swedes settled down in Delaware in 1703. Ethnic groups brought in different cultures to the English

The Amish is a group of traditionalist Christians that rely on simple living, plain dress and refuse to adapt to modern technology. The history of the Amish started in Switzerland in 1693 led by Jakob Amman. Today majority of the traditional descendants of the Amish live in Pennsylvania and Ohio.

Pennsylvania colony had about 6 different Native American tribes. Pennsylvania is one of the Atlantic coast colony. The Pennsylvania became a colony in the year 1681. The religion that Pennsylvania had was Quaker. The purpose of the Pennsylvania is for Quakers did not have strict rules. Pennsylvania is also called Penn Woods. Also Penn Woods was named After Admiral

      English colonizers brought old world traditions into the new world and strengthened their respective communities in order to protect their cultural identity in the colonies. For the English, immigration into the colonies meant facing one’s inessentiality; the colonies had high rates of mortality and weakly structured economies.11  Faced with their dispensability, settlers discovered new means to retain their cultural identities. For example, Quakers “rejected institutions of high culture and made virtues of simplicity and hard work in a hostile environment.” 12 They transplanted their theological cultural inheritances into colonial society and were able to perpetuate that facet of their identity in the colonies. The solidification of their communities was vital to the survival of their identities. For Scots, maintaining close relationships with prominent Scots in other colonies emphasized a Scottish identity, even across colonial borders.13 Maintaining relationships equated sustenance of old world culture through social interactions. Additionally, English colonizers solidified their community by placing a strong importance on trust. “Among persons for whom doubt replaced basic trust in the way of one’s social group, such doubt may undermine the

There is a plethora of reasons to settle in Pennsylvania. First of all, the Pennsylvania colony was founded by a Quaker. This Quaker is William Penn. As you may know, Quakers oppose war and are well known pacifists. So this colony is ruled by a good person. Second of all, this colony has a variety of religious groups such as the Amish, Presbyterians, Moravians, and Lutherans are examples of religious groups that have came here. Since of this, you can enjoy different things and learn about new lifestyles that someone has.

This paper will explore the history of the colonial settlements of the Quakers, who are also known as the Society of Friends, who settled in New Jersey and Pennsylvania in colonial times. The history surrounding the establishment and growth of the Quaker colonies of West Jersey and Pennsylvania will be discussed. William Penn’s efforts in establishing the colonies of West Jersey and Pennsylvania were paramount to Quakers immigrating to America. John Fenwick also played a major role in founding the colony of West Jersey, which is now known as New Jersey and the later immigration of Quakers to Pennsylvania. The abolitionist efforts of the Quakers in their fight against slavery, their equal treatment of slaves and the assistance that they provided to slaves will also be discussed. Quakers provided shelter, financial support and harbored many slaves so that they could avoid capture by their owners. Quakers were a large part of the abolitionist movement in the colonies while slavery was legal. Many Quakers played a role in the Underground Railroad, which assisted slaves in obtaining their freedom and avoiding capture. The terms “Quaker” and Society of Friends are interchangeable and will be used throughout this paper accordingly.

The English language is particularly complex in almost all aspects. Many of the words in the English language have different meanings for the same word. This is not unlike the definition of the different levels of usage. McCrimmon defines the three levels, formal, moderate, and colloquial, by their sentence structure, diction, and tone (McCrimmon 193). ¹ Using McCrimmon’s definitions, authors can determine what type of writing is applicable to each of the three levels. For the formal writings, an adequate example of where readers can find it is in a professional journal, and an appropriate place to find an example of the moderate level is in a weekly news magazine. Also, the best place to look for an example of the colloquial level is in certain sections of the newspaper. All of the levels of usage apply to these different types of writings and assist in defining what each level involves.

Throughout her speech, Florence Kelly uses her diction to create imagery and convey her point. An example of this in Kelly’s speech is lines 18-22 where she says “ Tonight while we sleep, several thousand little girls will be working in textile mills, all night through, in the deafening noise of the spindles and the looms spinning and weaving cotton and wool, silks and ribbons for us to buy.”(Kelly, 10). With attention to the word choice, Florence Kelly creates an image of a small girl working long into the night, making goods for people to buy, while the adults are at home sleeping in their beds. In this excerpt, she uses the three main phrases, while we sleep, little girls and deafening noise to help the reader picture what is happening with

Discuss how William Penn viewed his colony as a “holy experiment?” How did the Quaker religion differ from Puritanism in New England? [Chapter 3…and Chapter 2 review]

The Quakers of New England had strong convictions. After persecution of Quakers began, William Penn looked to the New World. William Penn was given land in the New World by the king who was repaying a debt to William’s father. The Quakers of the Middle Colony Pennsylvania would have friendly interactions with the Indians. This interaction was only possible because of their strict pacifism. Pennsylvania became very liberal due to the Quaker beliefs. No person would be taxed by a state church. Quakers also were tolerant of others. Thus, anyone of any faith could be a resident and worship in Pennsylvania. The Quaker pacifism was also extended to capital punishment. Few crimes were punishable by death. Through the Quakes’ beliefs, Pennsylvania became a hub of acceptance. Being of the most diverse colonies, the Middle Colonies were also impacted by a religion that was vastly different to those in the Chesapeake and New England colonies in the

Several valid points were made, and she used textual evidence to back up her assertions. Pestana stays on topic and she does not digress, which makes it easy to follow and understand. This article is important because it raises questions about certain topics such as the, “suspicious similarities between Quakers and Catholics” (Pestana, 339). Because Pestana notes the Puritans believed that the Quakers were affiliated with other religious and social groups, the readers question the similarities and look for connections. In short, it is thought

The Amish usually speak three languages, Pennsylvania Dutch first, then English as a second language and High German third, as it is used in church services and in their version of the Bible.

The Amish people are a subculture group. This culture is one of the more distinctive and colorful cultural groups across America. Their rejection of modern technology is what has kept them apart of the high tech culture. They start back in the sixteenth-century Europe when a rebaptism of adults was then a crime punishable by death. Anabaptists or rebaptizers were groups’ that threatened civil and religious authorities. The Swiss Anabaptists followed a Jesus life were they loved their enemies, forgiving insults, and turning the other cheek. While other groups we’re more into violence. The Amish came in 1693 when the Swiss and the South Germans Anabaptists split into two groups: Amish and Mennonites. Looking for political stability and religious freedom they moved to North America where they first settled in southern Pennsylvania then to Ohio, Indiana, and to other Midwestern states. Were they have been able to maintain a distinctive subculture. They try to maintain cultural customs to preserve their identity. Amish speak a dialect of German known as Pennsylvania German or Pennsylvania Dutch. This language is not a written language. Amish use the English when conversing with non-Amish individuals. When talking in Pennsylvania German to each other they tend to switch to English

The old order Amish worship in individual homes compared to the New Order Amish. Old Amish send their children to elementary school but do not believe in them attending high school. The Old Order Amish are descendants of the colonial Amish who came to Lancaster and Berks counties Pennsylvania from 1738 to 1756 from Switzerland, Palatinate, Waldeck, Hesse- Cassel, Alsace, Bavaria, and Montbeliard ("Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online," 2012).

The Amish are a small group of people that live in a secluded area of the eastern United States of America. The cultural group known as the Amish has constituted themselves as a unique entity in America's diverse landscape. Amish life is centered on religion, agriculture, and the family. For most people who live outside of the Amish culture, this group seems out of touch with the present time; a culture of another era. This belief is primarily attributable to the Amish belief in simplicity and their rejection of modern technologies (The Amish 2011). One of the most important aspects of Amish life and livelihood is agriculture; the Amish focus much of their life on the growth and harvest of food and other crops. The various factors that affect the culture are based upon agriculture; including the Amish beliefs and values, economic organization, gender relations, kinship, political organization, sickness, social change, and social organization.