National Committee for Amish Religious Freedom Records, 1984-2020 | Earl H. and Anita F. Hess Archives and Special Collections

By Erin E. Moore '23

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Collection Overview

Title: National Committee for Amish Religious Freedom Records, 1984-2020

ID: MSS/MSS-0015

Extent: 2.0 Cubic Feet

Date Acquired: 09/00/2020. More info below under Accruals.

Scope and Contents of the Materials

The National Committee for Amish Religious Freedom (NCARF) Records includes legal correspondence, court documents, newspaper articles and other materials pertaining to Amish people who have been involved in court proceedings. Includes correspondence to and from Donald B. Kraybill, Ph.D., former professor at Elizabethtown College and a Senior Fellow at the Young Center for Anabaptist and Pietist Studies. The collection includes court documents pertaining to Amish and Mennonite people in multiple states including Wisconsin, Minnesota, Mississippi, Michigan, Indiana, New York, Ohio, and the Commonwealths of Pennsylvania and Kentucky. Cases vary widely in subject matter. Some examples include slow moving vehicle emblems on horse and buggies, religious freedom cases, school sanitation regulations and public sewer projects, zoning ordinances and urban development in counties with high Amish populations, Chesapeake Bay pollution management, questions regarding the legality of Pennsylvania Amish schools, the “Amish Act” (social security child tax credit exemption), shunning cases, accusations of abuse in the Amish community, television shows and movies that portray Amish people, child custody disputes, child labor law violations, and photo ID requirements for the Amish. Papers belonging to Dr. Joe Wittmer, who was raised Old Order Amish and served as Vice-Chair of the National Committee for Amish Religious Freedom, are included in box 2, folders 22-33.

Collection Historical Note

The National Committee for Amish Religious Freedom (NCARF) was founded by non-Amish people at the University of Chicago in 1967, with a goal to preserve “the religious liberty of the Old Order Amish (and related Anabaptist groups, including Mennonites).” A pivotal court case involving the National Committee for Amish Religious Freedom (NCARF) was Wisconsin v. Yoder, 406 U.S. 205 (1972). The court case was brought about to prevent the state government from forcing Amish families to educate their children beyond the eighth grade.

Administrative Information

Repository: Earl H. and Anita F. Hess Archives and Special Collections

Accruals: Additional materials acquired in April 2022

Access Restrictions: Researchers may view Box 2, Folder 2 (Child Custody: Lou Butler, 1998-2000) but must ask permission of the National Committee for Amish Religious Freedom before disclosing any of the contents. Restriction ends in 2040.

Acquisition Source: National Committee for Amish Religious Freedom

Box and Folder Listing

Browse by Box:

[Box 1],
[Box 2],
[All]

Box 1

Folder 1: Slow Moving Vehicle Emblem, Horseshoe Regulations, 1989-2011
Folder 2: Slow Moving Vehicle – Lawsuit, Mississippi, 1999
Folder 3: Swartzentruber Slow Moving Vehicle, Pennsylvania file 1, 2002-2004
Folder 4: Swartzentruber Slow Moving Vehicle, Pennsylvania file 2, 2002
Folder 5: Bicycle Helmets, 2001-2003
Folder 6: Dress Code and Prisoner Rights, 1994
Folder 7: Religious Freedom Protection Act – PA SB 1421, 1991-2020
Folder 8: School Sanitation (sewer) Regulations, Todd County, Kentucky, 2001-2005
Folder 9: Sanitation Regulations, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, Michigan, 1989-2019
Folder 10: Zoning – Daniel King, Walker Township, Pennsylvania, 2002-2004
Folder 11: High Voltage Transmission Lines – Indiana, 1992
Folder 12: Zoning, Urban Development, Intercourse, Pennsylvania, 1990-1998
Folder 13: Building Code Violations, Ordinances: Indiana, Wisconsin, New York, 1990-2016
Folder 14: Zoning Building Codes – Michigan, 1999-2010
Folder 15: Nutrient Management – Chesapeake Bay pollution, 1988-2010
Folder 16: Safety – Hunter Education, 2004
Folder 17: Bob McGowan challenge to legal status of Pennsylvania Amish schools, 2005-2009
Folder 18: Sewer District – Daviess County, Indiana – require electric pumps, 1999-2007
Folder 19: Stoltzfus Anti-Trust Suit: Help Hand, Fire Aid, Church, 2009
Folder 20: Tax Credit (Child) Social Security Exemption, 2019
Folder 21: Voting: Amish, 2004-2006
Folder 22: Amish Schools
Folder 23: Noah Girod, Schwartz Algansee Township, Michigan Zoning, 2004-2009
Folder 24: Shunnings – Valley Hardware vs. Aaron Glick, 1990-1995
Folder 25: Shunning – Misc. Cases, 2005-2014
Folder 26: Land Use Growth Management Study Group Lancaster County, 2000-2007
Folder 27: Route 23 Proposal Community Coalition and EIS Task Force, File 1, 1998-2002
Folder 28: Route 23 Proposal CAC, EIS Taskforce, Lancaster County, File 2, 1993-2002
Folder 29: ABC 20/20 Abuse, 1996-1997
Folder 30: Abuse, 2004
Folder 31: Amish in the City – TV Shows, 2004
Folder 32: Amish Diversity & Identity: Transformations in 20th Century America, 2004-2007
Folder 33: Amish and the State, 1990-2003

Browse by Box:

[Box 1],
[Box 2],
[All]