The Legacy Of Henry Ford

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

     When you think about Ford, an automobile will usually come to mind. Most people don’t think about the man behind that name, Henry Ford. Henry Ford was the man responsible for the Ford Motor Company (FMC). He was also the creator of the invention that changed the mass production industry, the assembly line. As you read on you will learn about Henry Ford’s life, the FMC, and the assembly line.

There is no doubt that Henry Ford had a strong impact on America during the Progressive Era. His Ford Motor Company revolutionized mass production and consumerism through his development of the assembly line. However, many people were opposed to the routinized unskilled labor he employed that caused many of the workers to be easily replaceable. Despite this, Henry Ford still contributed heavily to society. Ford employed thousands of workers at salaries that were unprecedented for that day to those who he thought qualified for them thereby redistributing his own fortune and improving the lives of the lower class. The gospel of wealth describes how “people of great wealth… had not only great power but also great responsibility to use their riches

When Americans get into their vehicles every day to go to work or school, they do not normally think about how much transportation has evolved over the years. People started out walking and then later moved to horse and buggies. During the early 1800’s, railroads were being built from east to west in this country and trains began to take over. As cities grew, people looked for ways to travel more efficiently. The work of Henry Ford made a lasting impact on America in regards to both transportation and manufacturing.

“Any customer can have a car painted any colour that he wants so long as it is black.” (Henry Ford). Henry Ford is one of the world’s most renowned leaders for the automobile industry. The son of a farmer, Ford has always been interested in how things worked. He has improved the models of his cars to make manufacturing them faster and more efficient by using assembly lines. He also set a balance between his employees’ wages and hours worked. Ford never stopped innovating and it is shown in his later Models of his car. Ford set standards for future motor companies and set standards for modern day manufacturing.

     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

Cars are a major part of everyday life. People today cannot imagine walking from Northeast Philadelphia to South Philadelphia, let alone traveling from Philadelphia to Florida. The vehicle that started the mobile craze in America was the Model T ford by Henry Ford. Hitting it off with the entire nation, The Model T Ford was a smashing success.

Henry Ford was a self-sufficient man, he is greatly known for initiating the era of mass consumption and mass production in the American economy. Not only did he create “Ford Motor Company” but he is also known for numerous other things such as creating the moving assembly line, high wages and sponsoring Americanization school for foreign workers so they could have a successful future.

More than any single person of the last century, Henry Ford can take responsibility for creating the American middle class. We can thank him or curse him, but either way, we have to acknowledge the impact Henry Ford had on our society.

Ford is one of the most honorable automobile manufacturers in the world today. Henry Ford (July 30, 1863 - April 7, 1847), founded this prestigious company in 1903. In the year of 1908, he made the Ford model T car, and developed an assembly line as a means of production. This development revolutionized the industry, and allowed Ford to be able to sell millions of automobiles and become known all across the world. This company has impacted so many families' lives by giving them a great means of transportation and a product that will be trusted. However, investors need to understand companies as much as possible because strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats arise within every industry. In some areas, ratings may be higher than others.

Octavian Augustus (63 B.C.E-14 AD) is known as the first, and one of the greatest, Roman Emperors ever. Octavian enabled the long, peaceful time of the Pax Romana by changing Rome from a fragile, crumbling republican government to a mighty empire. Octavian¹s government was strong enough to withstand weak emperors who mismanaged the Empire. His changes proved to be the cornerstone of the greatest empire the world has ever seen.

Bak, Richard. Henry and Edsel: The Creation of the Ford Empire, New Jersey: John Wiley & Sons, 2003

When trying to make connections between democracy and capitalism, and how they play a role in our everyday society, looking closely at the emergence of a powerful company can be very informative. Throughout the documentary Henry Ford American Experience, we are introduced to the humble beginnings of the one well-known company in today’s society, the Ford Motor Company. With the in-depth account of the creator himself, Henry Ford and the focus on the labor practices used in his company, one can understand how the establishment came to be.

In the reading from Womack about Henry Ford and his vision to create a vehicle for all people at a low cost to them drove the automobile industry to roughly what it is today. The base principal is there but it has been refined many times over to create the manufacturing centers that we have today. Womack described the automobiles that Henry Ford first made as being made in a stall and that the worker had to fit the parts to it by hand until the vehicle was done. Then the idea was to create an assembly line. Though this process he learned how to make what he had better and what did not work. In the book by Ohno, it was stated that they did not produce a single vehicle for three years on an assembly line while the process was being figured out. Henry Ford jumped right into it with a little bit of knowledge and made the system he had work. Ohno on the other hand studied the process and then refined it. Then they did it all over again until they were satisfied with it at that time. The kept refining the process and took the suggestions from the employees while Henry Ford did not take any suggestions from his employees and made all of the decisions himself.

The mission statement of Ford is not written because in past decades, U.S. vehicle industries have changed dramatically. However, Ford has a vision statement which can be substituted for mission statement, “People working together as a lean, global enterprise to make people’s lives better through automotive and mobility leadership.”