Henry Ford and the Model T Ford

In the late 1800’s and early 1900’s the automobile was considered an expensive, custom made, consumer product that only the wealthy could afford to dazzle themselves with. In fact, in 1895 there was a report of only 300 cars in the United States, but that number grew dramatically in the years to come to nearly 1.7 million by 1914 (Car History, n.d.). This increase was due in part by two major shifts in the American society; the new consumer economy and the ideas that every family in America should be able to afford an automobile. Henry Ford was a large contributor to this massive increase in the United States and would make changes to the automobile industry that

In the early 1900’s Henry Ford developed the idea of “a wagon that will run without a horse”.1 This idea and Ford’s success changed America and its people forever. The development of the automobile played a tremendous role in the economy, labor unions and society. Generally, when most people think of Henry Ford they reflect upon his wealth and contributions to the transportation industry as an infinitely positive phenomenon. It is thought that aside from just allowing consumers to purchase and use his inventions, he provided thousands of people with jobs and the promise of prosperity. The tale of Henry Ford’s legendary business and remarkably effective assembly line is unparalleled in

What would America be today if Henry Ford’s impact in history would have never occurred? Could the wealthy be the only citizens who could own a car? Could it be possible that the assembly line would have never been perfected? Thankfully, we don’t have to live in a world where all these possibilities are unknown. During the 20th century being able to travel from one place to another in their own car was rather strenuous to most Americans. Although the automobile did exist, it was extremely expensive and only the wealthy were able to afford it. Without Henry Ford’s impact on American history, this scenario would have never changed, only the wealthy would be driving in their own automobile today. America would not be what it is today if it weren’t for Ford. Henry Ford made an extremely impact in America through his Model T, which made automobiles more accessible for the majority of Americans, and perfecting the assembly line, which would increase mass production.

Imagine how life would be if our society did not have cars. Today, our society is dependent on cars for our daily routines. From transporting our food, clothes, and technology to just going to the store across the street, cars are a very important part of our society. In the 19th century, only the wealthy and upper middle class had access to automobiles, and they only used cars for fancy transportation and to show off their money. This was due to the extreme prices of cars in the 19th century. With these high prices not many people could afford them, especially not the working class. Henry Ford revolutionized the automotive industry in the

Henry Ford was born while the American Civil War was still raging. July 30th, 1863, William and Mary Ford, owners of one of the more substantial homesteads in Dearborn, Michigan, had their first surviving child named Henry. Henry Ford didn’t like the hard life he had been born into of farming to survive. Luckily going to school offered an escape from the long hours of endless chores. He was a naturally curious child. Henry Ford was a natural born mechanic. One of the first places that he was able to express his innate ability was when he received a wrist watch for his 13th birthday. Like a lot of boys that wanted to learn about machines, he took the watch apart. But unlike most young boys, he was able to put the watch perfectly back together again. But in 1876, Henry Ford’s orderly world fell apart. His beloved mother, Mary, died during childbirth. Henry was 12 when this happened, and the loss left him

Ford’s dream was to produce a moderate priced, reliable, and efficient automobile, which came with the Model T in 1908.3 A company that started out small, now had over half of the car owners in America driving the Model T.1 It was easy to operate and maintain, it also handled good on rough roads. It was the most popular automobile in history, and over fifteen million were sold. With the Model T, Ford achieved his goal to make reasonable priced cars for the average person. 2

Henry Ford was much like other children growing up. Ford was born on July 30, 1863 in Dearborn, Michigan. He was raised on a farm and others could tell he would be extremely successful in his future. In order to learn more about the engines and be more successful, Henry Ford built friendships with the men who ran the full-sized steam engines. He learned how to fix watches in order to understand how machines worked. Ford was intrigued by machines and went the extra mile to learn more about them. He was willing to risk it all just to pursue his dream and would not let a bump in the road stop him.

Henry's dream of the automobile started with the production of his first auto, on June fourth 1896, the primitive auto was named the quadracycle. Not exactly a modern auto the Quadracycle was reminiscent to a babbycarrige on bicycle wheels but was a start to Ford's empire and the development of the automobile for the people. Many saw Henry's potential and helped him to find a successor to the Quadracycle; one such person was the Mayor of Detroit, William Mayburg who provided financial support to Ford to continue his research. Generous investors such as this and the help of four investors donating 10,000 dollars each led to the official founding of the Ford Motor Co. in 1901.

The son of a farmer, Henry Ford was born near Detroit, Michigan to William Ford and Mary Ligot. Since his teens Ford has always been interested in tinkering and finding out how things worked. “At the young age of 15, he dissolved and reunited the timepieces of neighbors and friends many times and gained a status of a watch repairman.”(The Famous People) Ford started to get a lot of experience through servicing and working machines. “His father wanted him to take over the family farm over the course of time but he denied telling his father that he loved the farm just because his mother was there. In 1879, Ford left home and started working as an amateur machinist in Detroit city.” (The Famous People) He denies the opportunity to seek for something better and later on, Ford would start to work for the Westinghouse Company servicing steam

     The birth of the automobile was truly something special. Once a far fetched dream is now what many people believe to be the back bone of the American economy. When people think about the automobile the name that comes to mind is most usually Henry Ford. Although he is not credited with the invention of the automobile, Henry Ford played a crucial role in the development of mass production. The automobile was first invented Europe in 1771 with a top speed of 2.3 miles per hour. A man by the name of Gottliech Daimler produced what was known as the milestone car in 1889, this vehicle traveled at 10 miles per hour (Brown, 105). Not more then a handful of these cars were produced over seas. Not many people had ever

This paper will go into detail about the young life, career and adult life of Henry Ford. Henry ford’s young life, in this paper will consist of his childhood. The paper will then describe all of his education and early jobs. Finally, this paper will conclude with Henry Ford’s adult life and home life (what he did when he wasn’t working), his career’s work and the impact Henry had on American History. This paper should help the reader better understand the life of Henry Ford: Who he was? Who he is? And why he was so vital to our American History.

Henry Ford revolutionized the way people traveled throughout the nation of the United States. A short time after the first model T rolled off of the assembly line, Mr. Ford found the need to create a vehicle that would ease the burden of caring for the horses that pulled the wagons and saved time for his fellow workers. The model T pickup was born! No more horses to care for, no more strapping the carriage to the horse, and defiantly no more poop to scoop. How did Mr. Ford create so much value for the people? By recognizing there was a need to take care of, a want to fulfill, and a demand to meet.

Henry Ford was an engineer from Detroit, Michigan who had an idea. By 1902, Ford had attempted several times to produce a gas powered vehicle, but with little capital, he realized that his attempts were futile. Ford approached a man by the name of Alexander T. Malcomson about the possibility of manufacturing an automobile. Malcomson, a friend of the family and wealthy coal merchant was reluctant at first but finally agreed with Ford, and decided to assit Ford financially with his endeavor. With Malcomsons investment and Ford's engineering skills a partnership was formed and in mid June of 1903, papers of incorporation for the Ford Motor Company were filed in Dearborn, Michigan.

Henry Ford was the world’s most influential leader. From founding one of the worlds most successful car companies, to having a major influence on WWI, he has profoundly shaped the 20th century and left an impact on every single one of our lives. Although Mr. Ford is considered one of the wealthiest and most commonly known people in the world, Ford was founded by his hard work and dedication to supply a perfect product. At one point half the cars on the road worldwide were his famous model-t. As the company expanded he slowly began to make Ford more independent, such as purchasing acres of land for wood, purchasing land for rubber trees, and even having his own line of specialty glass blowers. Mr. Ford strived to give his customers the best deal possible, constantly finding ways do drop the price of his cars so they could be available to all. He has risen the standards not only in business but in the innovative world as well. Overall it is safe to say Henry Ford embodies success and has given the American Dream a new definition, he has truly inspired us all.

Henry really didn’t like those animals, or how dependent he was on them. He was certain that there was a better way to do everything he relied on them so much for. Then, as fate would have it, he learned about the internal combustion engine. Right about then, Henry Ford began to shape his vision. (Ford, 2012a)