Henry Ford's Idea

Henry Ford was one of the greatest pioneers of American History. He created the Model-T automobile and invented the fast paced assembly line. Henry Ford would go on to drastically change the perspective of industries around the world. His invention of the assembly line and his five-dollar a day wage for the average worker brought about a total new change in factories. Ford’s style and ingenuity helped America to be more prosperous and created a large amount of opulence for America in the early 1900s, all because of one man’s creativity and determination to achieve a dream that would help out the common man and the entire world.

Henry was born on July 30, 1863 in Dearborn, Michigan in the upstairs bedroom of a farmhouse where he lived. He was the first of six children. He lived with his mother, Mary Litogot Ford, and his father, William Ford, who emigrated from Ireland in 1847. As a boy Henry was very creative and liked to work with tools. However, he hated doing chores and he always wanted to make things easier to do in life. This would be Henry’s motto in life, always wanted to make things easier to do in life, at home or work. Ford was so creative that in 1893, he built his first engine and in 1896, he completed what he called the “Quadricycle”, which ran for several years and sold it for $200. Ford had his second car finished in 1898 which was lighter and stronger than most cars around then. Soon enough many automobile companies were looking for somebody like Ford to help get their company going.

Ford would eventually go into automobile racing and then build his own car company. Ford’s years in automobile racing was his way to improve the car and a chance to test it under competition. Soon though, he would get out of racing by a tough minded and ambitious James Couzens, who developed plans for a car company. Couzens was able to start out the company with $28,000 in cash, and $21,000 in notes. The Ford Motor Company came out with the Model A, the Model B, and the Model K in their beginning years. However, most of these cars were too expensive for the common man. So Ford decided that he would make a car that was affordable to the ordinary worker. For a few years, Ford and his technicians began building their next and most important car in history.

In 1908, Ford debuted the Model T. It was an ugly car, seven feet high with false doors and a crank. Despite the simplicity and ugly appearance, the Model T was modern and affordable. In the beginning automobiles were considered only for the wealthy. Ford built the largest automobile plant in the world, and invented the assembly line in 1913. The assembly line was a system of manufacturing in which each worker performs a specialized operation and his or her own station. The product is them moved to the person at the next station on a conveyer belt. This was one of the ways mass production came about, and it made the cars much cheaper to produce. The Model-T was eventually produced on the assembly line in 1913. It only took ninety minutes to put the body together the body in 1913.

The Ford Motor Company produced about eight thousand cars a day. Prices of the Model-T dropped dramatically once the assembly line was introduced. It went from nine hundred and fifty dollars, in 1909, to only four hundred and ninety dollars in 1913. Today, four hundred and ninety dollars is equal to the amount of eight thousand five hundred dollars to purchase an automobile. Ford paid his workers five dollars or more per day for working eight hours, which was double the amount, paid to an average worker anywhere. Most laborers earned two dollars and fifty cents for twelve hours of work.

However, there was one problem with the amount of earnings the employees made when working in the factory. Many people stood outside the factory begging to get a job there because they paid so well. Henry had hired more than six thousand people, paying them the same amount of money. Since not everyone could get employed there, civilians started to rebel because of the jealousy, and fights broke out in the streets outside. By 1940, Henry Ford had made over one billion dollars in the business, and became one of the richest men in the world.

The Model T could generate its own electricity for ignition and it had a planetary transmission which allowed women and children to drive it. The car was easy to operate and had the most efficient gasoline gauge of its time. The greatest thing that came out from the Model T, was incredible influence in all of America. Since the Model T was the first affordable car, which reached a low of only $260 in 1925, it allowed the average American to own a car at that time. When they previously had to work for years in order to able to buy a low cost automobile before the Model T was introduced. The Model T also helped the improvement of roads. Many roads were now being paved to become sufficient for vast number of people driving the vehicle, as well as highways and bridges being built for cars. Women were starting to leave the house now more because the Model T was easy to drive. Families could now go on trips and see America. Access to places was easier now, which led to the building of more stores, restaurants, and companies. Its widespread popularity was so intense that over fifteen million were sold all over the world. However, the most important thing the Model T did, was its impact on connecting the people of America.

One greatest invention in industry is the assembly line. Henry Ford had a theory that if cars were manufactured all alike, they could be turned out in larger numbers at a lesser cost. That is why the Model T came only in black and they were all built the same way. Ford had the whole thing figured out. If they produced cars more inexpensively this would make them available to other people, which would lead to more cars bought. This would require better roads and create more customers which would lead to more cars bought and more reduced prices for cars.

Henry Ford had to figure out a way to produce cars more inexpensively and quickly. Ford decided to install the moving belt. This allowed more than one man to try to put together a part for the car. As the belt moved along one man would have a certain job to do for that part, then it would move on to the next person. As the frame moved along a group of workers walked by installing parts into the frame. Therefore, the number of man hours was reduced from 15 1/2 to 1 /2 hours. This fascinating process in industry led to the affordability of the Model T and the process in almost every industry, to produce their products quicker and easier. Ford’s ingenuity in industry was greater than just his inventions, but also his business-type approach to the workers. Ford knew that in 1913, there was growing tension from the 13,000 employees at Detroit.

Ford had the most effective way to keep his workers happy and still keep his company prosperous. He showed many industries how to run their company in a new style without losing any profits and the ability of increasing production also. Henry Ford was one of the most creative and determined people in the world. He had an attraction for the common people, to make their life easier and more simple. Ford accomplished this incredible praise and respect through the invention of the Model T.

Finally, Henry Ford is recognized as the greatest business man in history and as one the most illustrious minds of all time, being in the same league as Albert Einstein and Stephen Hawking. His creation of the first fully operational and affordable automobile in the world and the development of the assembly line (which is still going strong to this very day). Are some the most important and significant contributions to American society, and will continue evolve in to benefit citizens in the future.