Uncovered: Life Beyond
Join the conversations of Rebecca and Naomi, two ex-Amish Mennonite women who jumped the proverbial fence in their younger years and later experienced college as first-gen, non-traditional students. They discuss pursuing formal education while raising a family, navigating the hidden curriculum of academia, and other dimensions of reimagining a life beyond high-demand religion. Send your questions to uncoveredlifebeyond@gmail.com.
Uncovered: Life Beyond
14. Contradictions and Consequences of Amish Schooling (Part 2)
It may seem that Wisconsin vs. Yoder was a major win for the Amish since today 85-90% of Amish young people continue in the tradition and the Old Order population doubles nearly every twenty years. However, in this episode, Naomi and Rebecca take a closer look at the realities of Amish life more than half a century out from that landmark Supreme Court decision. They find that banning formal high school education not only sabotages the lives of young people who leave (as was intended), but it also shortchanges the lives of those who stay.
Show Notes
- Full Transcript of the 1971 Wisconsin v. Yoder Supreme Court Hearing (The Amish Heritage Foundation)
- Wisconsin v. Yoder (Audio version of oral testimony)
- Full text of William O. Douglas’ dissenting opinion: https://en.wikisource.org/wiki/Wisconsin_v._Yoder/Dissent_Douglas
- "Yoder" Revisited: Why the Landmark Amish Schooling Case Could—And Should—Be Overturned (Gage Raley in the Virginia Law Review).
- "Heritage versus History in Amish Tourism" (Susan Bieseker)
- Plain Truth (Jodi Picoult)
- Candid Amish elders quoted by Tom Shachtman in Rumspringa: To Be or Not to Be Amish (p. 261)
- Do Amish One-Room Schools Make the Grade? The Dubious Data of "Wisconsin v Yoder” (William Fischel)
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