The Impact Of Henry Ford And The Ford Motor Company

1250 Words3 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Henry ford influence on america

The 1920’s was a time of great social, political, and economic change. The early automobile industry was no exclusion. It appears that throughout history, the figures that stand out the most are either worshipped or despised, and there is very rarely an in-between. Henry Ford, an icon of the 1920’s and the early automobile industry is no exemption. Many people love Ford for his innovative and entrepreneurial skills, while on the other hand, Ford is disliked by many due to his association with Anti-Semitism. Regardless of how Ford is viewed, many decisions he made significantly impacted the automobile industry. These decisions included installing the moving assembly line in his plant, and introducing the Five-Dollar Day. Through the implementation of the Five-Dollar Day, Ford was able to drastically change how the Ford Motor Company company operated, and how business would operate for years to come. Prior to January 4, 1914, the name Ford meant nothing. The Ford Motor Company paid its employees $2.34 for a nine-hour shift, and in 1912 the company made a profit of $13.5 million dollars (Raff 181). Raff continues in his article, “Looking back at the Five-Dollar Day,” that the Ford Motor Company had an employee turnover rate of 370%: “50,448 workers had to be hired during the course of 1913 to maintain an average labor force of 13,623” (181). These …show more content…

Members of the department started to make routine visits to each employee’s home. As Rudolph and Sonya Alvarado explain in their book, Drawing Conclusions on Henry Ford, “the purpose of the Sociological Department was to teach employees a number of social behaviors that included how to clean a house, how to brush teeth, how to sanitize the kitchen sink, and so on” (42). Ford was given the nickname the “mad socialist” because of these actions (43). Ford attempted to link his employees work and home lives together with a specific

Show More
Related

  • Henry Ford and the Senatorial Race of 1918

    593 Words  | 2 Pages

    In the early twentieth century, a prominent Michigan businessman fathered the American automobile industry. This innovative engineer and machinist revolutionized the world’s manufacturing techniques with the advent of the “moving assembly line” technique for mass production. Henry Ford’s innovations will forever change transportation and the American industry. With his acquired wealth and power, Ford turned his head towards politics. In 1918 Ford became the leading candidate for a Michigan senate seat; however he was unable to achieve this goal.

    Read More

  • Rise of Big Business and Organized Labor

    934 Words  | 2 Pages

    Ford offered an incredible perk for people working in his company. He offered the workers $5 a day minimum wage even though in other auto industries the wages were $2.34. So Ford was paying more than double the average wage to his workers, this shows his dedication to his work. Henry Ford despised Labor Unions for the sole reason that they were pointless and that because he thought he knew how to take care of his workers better than anybody else did. However, in 1941 he faced a general strike from his workers that made him change his mind, reluctantly. Ford had worked a lot to create a car that would be affordable to any common person. He stated, “ I will build a car for the great multitude…so low in price that no one will be unable to own one.

    Read More

  • Fordlandia by Greg Grandin

    1042 Words  | 3 Pages

    By 1927, Ford was a very successful industrialist, who had made a fortune out of manufacturing cars and displayed a new model of industrial production. He paid his workers much higher than average wages and offered various other incentives to encourage them to live the lives he thought they should. However, he was not a totally honest employer. He was violently anti-union and employed thugs to intimidate anyone who tried to organize and represent his workforce. Ford's generosity as a boss was dependent on letting the company make decisions for the workers, not just in the factories but in the way employees lived their lives, spies were actively out and about observing workers' off duty lives. Ford thought he could create a vast rubber plantation in Brazil, thus ensuring a reliable supply of latex for his new Model A as well as for his Ford trucks and tractors. In the process, he intended to show the world that his system of production would also elevate the lives of his workers.

    Read More

  • Ford Motor Company through the Ages

    3184 Words  | 7 Pages

    The Ford Motor Company (FMC) was founded in Detroit in 1903 and began shortly thereafter exporting cars to European branches. Cross-border assembly started in Canada in 1904 and was later implemented in the European markets. The first European plant was established in 1911 in England, and this was followed with other lower volume assembly plants across the European continent. All the plants and branches assembled and sold the Model T, using American methods and practices. This proved to be a success in the beginning, but in the long run, “(…) this proved a costly and unsuccessful strategy in Europe’s diverse markets” (Bonin et al., p. 15). By the late 1920s most of its European subsidiaries were struggling and Ford had to change his approach to the European market.

    Read More

  • Henry Ford: Pioneer of the Automobile Age

    862 Words  | 2 Pages

    Henry Ford is responsible for “perhaps the most revolutionary development in industrial history.” (Watts 2005,

    Read More

  • Henry Ford's Difference In The Automobile Industry

    896 Words  | 2 Pages

    Henry Ford was born on July 30 in 1863 in Greenfield Township, Michigan he was one of the first American industrialists and wanted to make a difference in the automobile industry. Back then, before 1908 automobiles were expensive that only rich people could afford. Henry Ford wanted to change this and wanted everyone to have a vehicle to drive. He was able to accomplish this by the assembly line, in which it created more cars in less time. The first car Henry Ford made was the Model T created on the assembly line. Ford’s innovation in manufacturing created less expensive cars and higher wage jobs.

    Read More

  • Ford Model T

    1024 Words  | 3 Pages

    The 1920's were a time where North America became modernized. Whether it was the music, the culture or the growth in technology, this time era is known to most people as the point where America advanced itself to become a world renowned country. An advancement that will be focused on is the Ford Model T. During this time owning a car was a symbol of wealth. Henry Ford, the creator of the Model T, made a system that revolutionized the automobile industry as we know it today. Henry Ford made it possible for people with an average income to own a motor vehicle by creating the assembly line and the theory of mass production. "The horse, which had been the chief means of land transportation for 3,500 years, had given way to the automobile, and the country's largest industry had been born." (Gordon)

    Read More

  • Henry Ford

    1753 Words  | 4 Pages

    Henry Ford was one of the most brilliant entrepreneurs in creating the automobile assembly line, it was his controversial characteristics and unorthodox approach towards administrating the Ford Motor Company which resulted in the conglomeration of one of the most successful corporations in the world. At the turn of the century everything was booming! The growth of the economy and stock market increased the job opportunities as well as morals. As a result of this industrial revolution, out of the woodwork came a humble yet driven man, Henry Ford. Between the five dollar/day plan, his policies on administrating the company, and his relations with his customers, Ford was often presented as a suspicious character. This controversial behavior epitomized the success of the company, it did not lead to his own downfall as many suspect. The Anti-Semitic accusations, and the belief that Ford was taking advantage of his customers, were by far overshadowed by his brillianc!e and strong hand in running his company.

    Read More

  • The Reality Of The 1920's

    1231 Words  | 3 Pages

    In the real world, life has its ups and downs. In the 1920's, corporations started to take better care of their workers than they had in the past. Workers were paid higher wages and worked shorter hours. With more time and money on their hands, workers turned into consumers, which caused an increase in the production of consumer goods. One of the most popular consumer goods was the automobile. To keep up with the high demand, the automobile industry had to create a way to make a lot of cars in a short amount of time, at a low price. The solution was the assembly line. With the assembly line the time to create one car dropped from 12 hours to 90 minutes. The price of the automobile fell greatly also, which further increased the demand. The automobile industry inspired other industries to form, such as the steel, rubber, petroleum, machine tools, and road building industries. But life wasn't just peaches and cream in the 1920's. Immigrants and farmers were facing some serious adversity. After World War I, the United States began to put a cap, or put a quota, on how many immigrants could come into the country.

    Read More

  • Life During The Harlem Renaissance

    1590 Words  | 4 Pages

    The 1920s exploded with fast paced and lively creativity and culture that influence the world, yet no invention affected American everyday life in the 20th century more than the automobile. The rapidly growing automobile industry led by Henry Ford and the Ford Motor Increased wages and lower cost vehicles made possible through mass production meant that cars became increasingly affordable, although 3 out of 4 cars were bought on installment plans. Company produced new and better models every year to supply the insatiable public demand( http://www.1920-30.com). With, automobiles it made it easier for people to go place to place, it also was affordable for the people to buy. The automobiles were easy to make because of the assembly line in that

    Read More

  • Vaudeville's Impact On American History

    694 Words  | 2 Pages

    The first part of the 20th century was a very important time in history. Compared to today’s standards it might not seem like a very exciting time to live in, but there were many influential people, activities, and events that changed the lives of Americans during this time period. When people look back on history, they will remember many important people and events that were a good representation of America at the time.   Henry Ford was an industrial pioneer of the early 20th century. He paved the way for modern car manufacturing.

    Read More

  • How Did Henry Ford Influence The World

    1438 Words  | 3 Pages

    Henry Ford: Influence on the 20th Century Dillon W. Wells AMH 2020, Composition October 16, 2017 Henry Ford is one of the most iconic American industrialist in history, \.. However, Ford had a vision of self that he projected to the media and public that did not always match his personal life at home. Ford gave off the impression to the media that he went from rags to riches, when in fact Ford’s father William was actually quite a rich and prosperous farmer. From a very young age Ford admired machinery, this would spark him to develop three ground breaking ideas that would shape the way we envision, produce, and manufacture automobiles to this day. Ford wanted further knowledge to help aid farm work but as noted

    Read More

  • Automobile Industry In The Great Gatsby

    736 Words  | 2 Pages

    In the 1920’s, the automobile was used in many efficient ways that changed history. It replaced horse carriages; which was very convenient. Due to the fact that it did not only help people get around more efficiently, it also had a great sale in the automobile market. Garages and driveways were added

    Read More

  • Henry Ford Compare And Contrast Essay

    527 Words  | 2 Pages

    Henry Ford and Thomas Edison were two famous American inventors. Ford and Edison were best friends, who spent a lot of time together. They inspired one another and learned from each other. Their inventions changed the world. Ford changed the manufacturing process for cars and Edison changed night to day with the invention of the light bulb. These two minds contrasted remarkably in their ways of working, their originality, and their business styles.

    Read More

  • Henry Ford

    1084 Words  | 3 Pages

    Henry Ford was one of the most important and influential inventors and businessmen in the short history of America. He revolutionized the business world and he changed forever the efficiency of factories around the world. One of the reasons that Henry Ford can be considered such an important man is that his ideas and concepts are still used today. Boron on July 30, in the year of 1863, Henry Ford was the oldest child of the family. His parents, William and Mary Ford, were “prosperous farmers” in his hometown of Dearborn. While they we’re well off for farmers, Ford certainly wasn’t spoiled and fed from silver spoons. Ford was just like any other typical young boy during the rural nineteenth century. From early on there we’re signs that Henry was going to be something more than a farmer. He looked with interest upon the machinery that his father and himself used for their farming, and looked with disdain at the rigorous chores of a farmer. In the year 1879, Henry being a meager 16 years old, he moved to the city of Detroit where he would work as an apprentice machinist. Henry would remain in Detroit working and learning about all varieties of machines. Although he occasionally came back to visit Dearborn, he mostly stayed in Detroit, picking up more and more valuable knowledge. This apprenticeship allowed him to work in the factories of Detroit and learn what a hard working blue-collar job was like. When he did return to Dearborn he was always tearing apart and rebuilding his fathers machines, along with the dreaded farm chores. Henry Ford was a hard worker and that was proven by him getting fired from one of his jobs in Detroit because the older employees we’re mad at him because he was finishing his repairs in a half hour rather than the usual five hours. Clara Bryant would represent the next step in now twenty-five year old Henry Ford’s life. The two lovers we’re married in 1888 and would endure good times as well as bad. In order to support his new wife Henry was forced to work the land as he ran a sawmill that was given to him by his father. His father actually attempted to bribe Henry to stay in the farming business as he gave him the land only under the condition that he would continue on as a farmer.

    Read More

More about The Impact Of Henry Ford And The Ford Motor Company

Open Document