Preview

Ford Model T: the Idea That Started a Revolution

Best Essays
Open Document
Open Document
4669 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
Ford Model T: the Idea That Started a Revolution
Ford Model T: The Idea That Started a Revolution

Nathan McCourt
Mr. Todd Willems
20th Century History
19 December 2011

Table of Contents

Introduction……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………3
The “Assembly Line”………………………………………………………………………………………………………………4
Keeping the Relationship……………………………………………………………………………………………………….6
The Ethos of Mass Production………………………………………………………………………………………………..8
Industries Built off an Industry………………………………………………………………………………………………11
Transforming America Yesterday and Today…………………………………………………………………………13
Conclusion…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….15
Works Cited…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..17

Nathan McCourt
Mr. Willems
20th Century History
19 December 2011
Introduction
The time is the 1910s: people are moving about, working day and night for the next big thing. Places to be, people to meet, new things to experience-this is the new era of America. A time where big ideas become a reality, where America is beginning to be recognized as world leader, these are the times of invention, excitement, and limitless possibilities. Americans of this time are always willing to spend money for entertainment, and more importantly they are willing to spend money on anything that could possibly make life easier. America was beginning to enter the Industrial Revolution, and the way America produced goods would never be the same. Leading the Industrial Revolution is a young man from Dearborn, Michigan who dreams of producing a machine that has the ability to move people from place to place faster than ever. This young man’s name is Henry Ford, and his ideas will transform the way America produces goods, and the way Americans get around from place to place. Henry Ford, known as the father of the automobile, is working to invent his most popular machine known as the Ford Model T- the first common man’s automobile. In order to make his dream a reality Ford needed a way to produce Model Ts quickly and


Cited: America: The Story of Us. Prod. Nutopia. Perf. Liev Schreiber. History Channel, 2010. DVD. Ament, Phil. "Inventor Henry Ford Biography." The Great Idea Finder - Celebrating the Spirit of Innovation. 21 May 2007. Web. 08 Dec. 2011. <http://www.ideafinder.com/history/inventors/ford.htm>. Bonner, Patricia. "Henry Ford and the Model T: A Case Study in Productivity (Part 1) | EconEdLink." Economic Lesson Plans, Personal Finance Lesson Plans and Resources for Educators, Students and Afterschool Providers | EconEdLink. Econedlink, 05 Jan. 2007. Web. 08 Dec. 2011. <http://www.econedlink.org/lessons/index.php?lid=668>. Ford, Henry. My Life and Work. 1st ed. Las Vegas: IAP Pub., 2010. Print. Georgano, G. N. Cars, 1886-1930. New York, NY: Crescent, 1990. America on the Move. General Motors Corporation. Web. 8 Dec. 2011. <http://americanhistory.si.edu/onthemove>. Glass, Brent. "America on the Move | Transportation History." National Museum of American History. General Motors Corporation. Web. 08 Dec. 2011. <http://americanhistory.si.edu/onthemove/themes/story_48_1.html>. Hounshell, David A. "The Ford Motor Company and the Rise of Mass Production in America." The American System to Mass Production 1800-1932. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins UP, 1984. 322-32. Print. Sandler, Martin W. Driving around the USA: Automobiles in American Life. Oxford: Oxford UP, 2003. Print. Useem, Jerry. "Ford Offers $5 a Day." Fortune 27 June 2005: 65. Web. 8 Dec. 2011.
Continue Reading
View Writing Issues

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Better Essays

    Henry Ford: The Invention Of The Automobile Industry
    • 854 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Henry Ford: The Invention Of The Automobile Industry

    Henry Ford, born on July 30, 1863, in Wayne County, Michigan, was an American industrialist who founded the Ford Motor Company. When he was just thirteen years old, Henry Ford received a pocket watch from his father, which he promptly took apart and put back together again. Everyone was impressed with his talent. At age 16, he apprenticed as a machinist and learned important skills that would help him in his chosen career path. Years later, he became an engineer. In 1908, he created the Ford Model T car (Biography.com. 2015, par.1-3). Although he accomplished all this, he is widely known for his invention of the assembly line, which revolutionized the industry and would still be…

    • 854 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Better Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Ford Superbowl Commercial Analysis
    • 845 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Ford Superbowl Commercial Analysis

    The Ford Motor Company was founded on June 16, 1903 by Henry Ford, a chief engineer at the Edison Illuminating Company with years of experience working on steam engines. Having sufficient knowledge on how the automotive industry works, Ford establishes a company with the appropriate leadership and a strong foundation. After many different trails and configurations Ford introduced the Model T in October of 1908, and for several years the company posted hundred percent gains. Ford created the moving assembly line technique of mass production and simultaneously paying his workers steady wages as a method of keeping the best workers loyal to his company. In 1918 more that half of the cars were the Ford Model T in the United States. Henry Ford is considered one of America’s leading businessmen by building the economy during the nation’s early…

    • 845 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    How Did Henry Ford Revolutionized American Society
    • 670 Words
    • 3 Pages

    How Did Henry Ford Revolutionized American Society

    Ford significantly enhanced productivity and decreased production time by segmenting the assembly process into smaller, more focused activities and arranging them in a continuous flow. With the help of this creative strategy, Ford was able to create cars like the Model T in record quantities, lowering the cost of ownership and increasing accessibility for the general population in…

    • 670 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Henry Ford's Inventions
    • 126 Words
    • 1 Page

    Henry Ford's Inventions

    Henry Ford was a brilliant engineer, who had an assortment of inventions producing to the automobile industry in the early 1900s. Of these inventions, arguably the most essential, was the Model T. The Model T was invented to give the public a more accessible and affordable automobile, which the ordinary person could drive. After being invented in Detroit, Michigan and introduced to the public in 1908, the accessibility of the Model T made it extraordinarily popular for several years. The inspiration for this ingenious invention was that Ford wanted a car that was affordable and able to be produced in great volume. Over the course of a year, Ford invented and tested the Model T on rough roads before its introduction to the public in 1908.…

    • 126 Words
    • 1 Page
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Better Essays

    How Did Henry Ford Affect The Economy
    • 1372 Words
    • 6 Pages

    How Did Henry Ford Affect The Economy

    He certainly did not create the first automobile but Henry Ford was a great influence in the "roaring twenties.” While contributing to consumerism Ford helped to build some new ideas and industries. With his new plans and ways of doing things Ford brought about a time period known as "Fordism". Ford 's concepts helped bring the United States into the Industrial Revolution and helped with trade in other countries. Assembly line perfection, steel manufacturing, rubber manufacturing, mobile America, and consumerism are some of the things he aided with in his…

    • 1372 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Better Essays
    Read More
  • Satisfactory Essays

    How Successful Was The Movement In The Early Twentieth Century
    • 263 Words
    • 2 Pages

    How Successful Was The Movement In The Early Twentieth Century

    One of Ford’s greatest achievements in the consumer society was the adaptation of the moving assembly line in his factories. In this process, the frames of the car would continuously move along the assembly belt and be brought to the worker. Because of this innovative idea, Ford was able to heighten the efficiency and cost effectiveness in his factories. More Model T car being built faster allowed for an affordable car for the everyday citizen. Other car companies could not compete. Also adding to the industrial and consumer society, Ford raised the wages in his factories to nearly double of their original pay. With higher wages a constant flow of skilled workers flooded to the factories. Before long, the mass production and practices of raised wages concepts used by Ford created a huge economic system which became known as Fordism.…

    • 263 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Alexander Hamilton Influence
    • 740 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Alexander Hamilton Influence

    To start off with we have Henry Ford. Technically Ford never invented the assembly line, but he was a sponsor who used it to the point where it became important. A car was a luxury for America before Ford came along, his company soon started to develop cars the average middle-class American could afford. This practice is now known as Fordism as Henry Ford was the first to make use of the tactic of mass production and low costs. Ford was a pioneer when it came to fair wage going as far as to pay his workers 5$ a day. The work week was also reduced to forty hours, five eight hour work days a week. Ford’s companies was also responsible for producing a number of war materials in World War Two at a rate that could rival the production of their Model T. When it came to the B-24 Bombers Ford’s factory at Willow Run was able to produce one bomber every 58 minutes, and ended up making about half of the total bombers. In the end Ford has been known to be a producer in American history, the first producer to make automobiles accessible, something many…

    • 740 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Automobiles: The Most Important Invention Of Reconstruction In America
    • 797 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Automobiles: The Most Important Invention Of Reconstruction In America

    Automobiles are arguably the most important invention of Reconstruction in America. Reconstruction came at a time when the nation was still recovering from the Civil War; it was also the time of industrial revolution in America. Although the Civil War greatly strengthened America’s railroad system there was still a need for something more in the transportation industry. There was a need for something smoother riding, something faster, something that didn’t need to travel on the steel rails, something more efficient, and easier to mass produce.…

    • 797 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    “The US Economic Boom of the 1920’s was primary due to the Motor Manufacturing Industry.” How far do you agree with this statement?
    • 1020 Words
    • 5 Pages

    “The US Economic Boom of the 1920’s was primary due to the Motor Manufacturing Industry.” How far do you agree with this statement?

    A critical factor in the motor manufacturing industry was the vast number of vehicles which were manufactured and sold, with the Ford Motor Company being the catalyst for this. Henry Ford Established the Ford Motor Company in the early 20th century and quickly started selling his famous Model-T motor car. Alongside Frederick Taylor, Ford perfected the assembly line and made mass production a reality. A Model-T could be produced in 90 minutes and as a result the price for one dropped from $825 to $575 in four years. Fundamentally, this meant that anyone could afford a car, including the working class, with a few months’ wages. This supported the economic system and kept it rising well into the late 20’s. Another supporting factor was that other US companies were able to copy Fords production technique and therefore increasing the revenue of the companies. This shows the massive economic growth caused by the development of mass production.…

    • 1020 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Impact of the Automobile from 1900-1945
    • 2317 Words
    • 10 Pages

    Impact of the Automobile from 1900-1945

    The impact of the automobile between 1900 through 1945 was immense. It paved the way for a future dependency on the automobile. To paint a better picture, imagine life without an automobile. Everyday life would be dull, cumbersome, and tedious. An individual's mobility would be very limited. Basically, the life without an automobile could not be fathomed. The importance of the automobile is often taken for granite. Society may not know what appreciate the impact of the automobile and effects it has created. The impact of the automobile had both positive and negative effects on America between 1900 through 1945. Automobile provided an outlet for individuals and spread the freedom of travel among all classes of people. It also helped to introduce rural dwellers to the aspects of urban life and vice versa. One of the negative effects was that automobiles helped to put of big decline in the use of railroads. Over the course of the paper, I will try to expose the huge impact of the automobile an early twentieth century life.<br><br>The image of a self-propelled vehicle dates back around the early thirteenth century. Europe is the birthplace of the automobile, but it was adopted by America. Roger Bacon had a vision of cars being made without animals so they can be at astonishing speeds and maneuverability . About three hundreds years later, Leonardo Da Vinci rejuvenate Bacon's idea with hopes of creating a military vehicle. His idea was transformed into the modern day tank. The first step in making a self-propelled vehicle was taken by Nicholas Joseph Cugnot. He was an eighteenth century French artillery officer. "In 1769 he built and ran a three-wheeled carriage mounting a steam engine of his own design, with the idea that it might be used for pulling guns"2. It was very clumsy vehicle that was shot into the air when it reached the top speed of three miles an hour. Cugnot's vehicle provided almost no improvement of the horse. In the early years of the nineteenth century…

    • 2317 Words
    • 10 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    The Tragedy In Detroit
    • 465 Words
    • 2 Pages

    The Tragedy In Detroit

    Although Mr. Ford has legendary status in our society, it is interesting to know what he did, and just as interesting to know what he did not do. He did not invent the gasoline engine. He did not invent the automobile, and he did not build the first fully operational automobile. What he did do took far more genius. He recognized the potential of the automobile as the future mode of transportation, replacing of course the horse and carriage, and he also envisioned the mass production of this “horseless carriage” as a means to put it within economic reach of the average worker. In short, Henry Ford put the world on…

    • 465 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    The Safety Of The Automobile In The Early 1900's
    • 694 Words
    • 3 Pages

    The Safety Of The Automobile In The Early 1900's

    The safety of the driver and passengers was not a high priority upon the release of the American automobile in the early 1900’s. It did not take long for people to realize the driver of a high-speed metal projectile with inadequate equipment was not only a danger to himself, but to others as well. With the inadequacy of safety, the start of the American automobile evolution brought soaring rates of injuries and traffic deaths but today these statistics have changed dramatically. In 1908, Henry Ford presented the American public an inexpensive and efficient automobile called the Model T. Soon after the growth of the automobile, serious safety issues developed into concerns.…

    • 694 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Better Essays

    Fordism
    • 1537 Words
    • 7 Pages

    Fordism

    Fordism is named after Henry Ford (1863-1947) who is a pioneer and car maker in manufacturing factories in the United States. This term first was introduced by Antonio Gramsci (1891-1937), ‘an ultra-modern form of production and of working methods such as is offered by the most advanced American variety, the industry of Henry Ford’ Before Fordism is introduced in industry, the craftsman built the Vulcan cars, and it usually took several weeks to make Vulcan cars which were sold to upper class. In 1908, Henry Ford produced the first Model T car, and brought Fordism into industry. The workers who worked for Ford benefited from Fordism: the working time from 9 hours to 8 hours; the salary from $2.5 to $5（at least）. The productivity increased sharply. From that time, Fordism was accepted by workers widely.…

    • 1537 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Better Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Explain Why Business Process Management Projects Are Implemented In Manufacturing Industries
    • 1168 Words
    • 5 Pages

    Explain Why Business Process Management Projects Are Implemented In Manufacturing Industries

    From this we can clearly say that how Henry Ford had thought deeply about the way the manufacturing process should work and he has a very clear idea and plans on how to improve the overall efficiency of the process. By organizing the groups and activities in the process he made the manufacturing process in low cost with high quality. As a result of doing all these activities and processes he made the manufacturing process which is easy to adapt and provides high quality in low cost. This move made Henry ford to produce cars in low cost that leads most of the middle-class American to own a car. Because of this as a direct result of increase in the productivity of the manufacturing process made ford to pay his workers more than any other manufacturers in the world. Within a short span of time Ford's new approach become popular and it becomes the trend setter in the auto mobile manufacturing industry, and fords approach to change in the manufacturing process made him to achieve success and made the company as the leader in automobile manufacturing. Ford's success in the manufacturing process is the best example of the power of innovation and process improvement in the field of manufacturing. There are lot of other examples as well that can be drawn…

    • 1168 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Powerful Essays

    Technological Change and Opportunities for Development as a Moving Target
    • 14223 Words
    • 57 Pages

    Technological Change and Opportunities for Development as a Moving Target

    R C E P E W R E V •I E W C E M B E R…

    • 14223 Words
    • 57 Pages
    Powerful Essays
    Read More

Related Topics