Roles Of The Automobile In The 1920's

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

Technology advancements and innovations served as, in my opinion, the most drastic life changing factors during this time period. For instance, the invention of the assembly line had a major impact on American workers. In fact, “By the mid-1920s one of eight U.S. workers was somehow involved in the production, sales, service, and fueling of automobiles.” (Kyvig, p.28) This is a major primary source that Kyvig uses as evidence to support his thesis and to help portray the fact that this time period changed the way Americans lived their lives. Just the automobile in general, “significantly changed the way people worked, conducted their business, shopped for necessities and desires, and spent leisure time.” (Kyvig, p.28) The automobile was unquestionably the most noteworthy of all new technologies that had gained popularity in the 1920s. As a secondary source of evidence, there were other inventions that gained popularity as

Technology played a vital part in helping America become the great economic and cultural success that it was during the 1920s. New advancements, new discoveries, and new inventions improved American lives in every imaginable way but not without a few negative side-effects. As mentioned earlier, the automobile really came into play during the 1920s by making traveling a common thing for anyone who could afford a car (Trueman, 2000). Henry Ford started the Ford Motor Company, which began to mass produce affordable automobiles known as the Model-T. Ford's Model-T car became such an irresistible success that by the end of the decade, there was almost one car per family in the United States (Bruce, 1981). The automobile seemed to give people a type of new freedom, but the automobile also proved to be a dangerous item in the hands of many irresponsible people who loved to drink during the 1920s. The washing machine, telephone, and radio made their arrival during the twenties. People were discovering life to be far easier than the previous generations because of technology, but they were also slowly being driven into an industrial nation. People were lured

Cars in the 1920s completely impacted daily life and greatly influenced the cars that we use everyday. Back before cars were popular, everyone traveled by horse and buggy. They had no source of cart heating, nothing to absorb shock, wheels without tires. All they had for streets back then were dirt roads with a top layer of gravel. This was not a problem for horses and buggies, but cars didn’t handle well in the mud. Because of this, the invention of the paved road we use now came about. After that, they needed a more organized and efficient way to navigate to faraway places, since the people could now travel at ease. An interstate highway system was created as a result of the First Federal Highway Act, passed in 1921. The highways heading

The economic boom of the 1920’s enhanced the everyday life of Americans. Mass production of goods made prior tasks, such as washing clothes, simple and allotted woman to have leisure time. The assembly line utilized by Henry Ford made the production of automobiles cost less lowering the price for consumers. The amount of cars sold from 1921-29 went up from 1.5 million to 4.5 million. (Document 9) With more leisure time because of useful inventions people sought activities to occupy their free time. Radios grew increasingly popular and steadily increased to be in 10 million households in 1929. (Document 9) The economic power held by the U.S permitted technological advances to be attainable, which unconstrained the daily lives of many Americans.

The first way the automobile has changed American society is by creating more jobs. The automobile created jobs in fast food, city/highway construction, state patrol/police, convenience stores, gas stations and auto shops.1 Mechanics were beginning to earn a living fixing the inevitable problems.2 Also oil and steel were two well-established industries that received a serious boost by the demand for automobiles, which created tens of thousands of jobs.3 The steel industry and machine tool makers flourished as the automotive industry required ever increasing supplies and components for the engines, chassis and other metal fixtures of the cars.4 Other than the basics, every car needed a battery, head lights, interior upholstery and paint, which created new side businesses.5 The trucking industry sustained a period of growth as more good were shipped via truck.6 Experts estimate that by about 1980, two

New discoveries, inventions, and advancements improved the lives of Americans in every matter but not without a few negative outcomes. The automobile came into play in the 1920s by making traveling common for people that could not afford cars. It was Henry Ford that started the Ford Motor Company which began to produce affordable automobiles known as the Model-T. The Model-T car became so successful that by the end of the decade, there was almost one automobile per family in the United States. This automobile gave people a new type of freedom, however, the car was proven as a dangerous item when in the hands of irresponsible people who would drink and

The 1920s or The roaring twenties were an era of social and political change. The dramatic change were a lot such many Americans lived in cities rather on farm , the country wealth doubled between 1920 and 1929. After the World War one in 1918 , american had a massive economic boost with plenty of job with new manufacturing plants and built things aside from airplane engine but household item such has TV , cars, refrigerator , radio , and washing machine . Car was not necessary but a luxury for the super-rich, which helped the cities into their “modern incarnations” according to Heather whipps.

People always knew that having an automobile would definitely decrease the burden of work in everyday lives. However, this was almost impossible to be achieved for most people back before the peaceful times in 1929. This is because automobiles were highly expensive and only affordable to the rich people. Average people were too busy thinking of how to pay their debts and saving their money to own a permanent place to stay. Nevertheless, when Ford had guts to prioritize human consumerism, many dreams had come true because of him.

The new economic era brought cars. Cars started to be made in the 1800’s but those were thought of as a luxury until the 20’s. In the 20’s Henry Ford came out with the assembly line which allowed the production of cars to increase by 60%. Cars were no longer a luxury and instead became an object that the common person could own. The reproduction of cars opened up a lot of new jobs such as filling stations and repair shops. Cars were the gateway

After recently suffering through a recession, America began to prosper economically. During the 1920’s the nation’s manufacturing output rose by more than sixty percent (Brinkley, 634). There were many technology advances during this time period. The automobile became one of the most important industries in the nation (Carr-Wilcox, March 4, 2013). Auto manufactures had to purchase steel, rubber, gasoline, oil, and tools, which in turn gave rise to these industries. The radio became a popular technology. By the end of the 1920’s almost every family in America had a radio in their household. Even the bases of the earliest computers were being made during the 1920’s. Technology had a huge impact on the communication of people in the twenties.

Technology was the solution to new affluence. The assembly line Ford pioneered became a standard feature in American plants (book pg. 647). Electric motors took the place of steam engines in the factories. The automobile industry, which became the nation’s largest in the 1920s, is an example of the consumer goods resolution. With the success of consumer goods industries, the America people enjoyed the highest standard of living on earth. The economic boom in the 1920s influenced society by improving the living standard in America for all

Automobiles were not sturdy and always required frequent maintenance, “Automobiles needed constant tuning, repairing ...” (Finch). The Ford and Chevrolet were affordable but they were called, “… delicate cars,” (Bondy, 34). They were known as that because they constantly required a constant input of money to be maintained. In addition, people needed to spend lots of money on gas for their automobiles, “10% of the salary of an average person was spent on gas,” (Finch). The early model cars such as the Ford Model T would require a lot of gas to run, so a lot of money was spent on gas for the cars to run. Furthermore, most technology required power, so people needed to buy batteries. This meant that batteries were constantly needed to keep their technology running for a certain period. The constant need for batteries, maintenance of a car, and a lot of gas had a negative effect on the economy, as continuous input of money was required by a person to support the

Within the 1920’s there was a vast expansion of several businesses. At the time, several new industries had begun to expand including several with ties to technology. Food processing and household appliances were among several types of businesses that began to mass produce due to the precedent Henry Ford had set forth, this being the idea of a moving assembly line. Additionally, automobiles was a large “backbone” for the massive economic growth America was experiencing at the time. In fact, many factories began to produce automobiles rather that the original textiles. Overseas investment was also very popular within America, allowing the United States dollar to surpass it’s British “pound” counterpart. Along with this large uprising of businesses, in America, came the overall evolution of technology. Typical American houses were completely transformed, allowing the dissolution of domestic servants. Furthermore, the large boost in technology basically created what we know now as everyday Hollywood.

Ford’s car production won’t be forgotten, but remembered through the ages. The Ford Motor Company’s adaptation of the assembly line gave Ford an advantage over competitors. Selling over 15 million cars by 1925, the new stylish cars were in high demand and were sold at lower prices. This enabled almost anyone to own one and find new pass times to occupy their lives with. During this era the quantity of cars contributed to the building of new freeways, the growth of suburbs, and just scouting the land. Now that America was mobile, gas