Henry Ford During the 1920's the American economy was full of fast changing development. Lots and lots of new job opportunities opened up due to the manufacturing business nearly doubling. One of the new manufacturing businesses was the invention of Henry Ford's Model T Compact Car. Nowadays, we look at cars as something we see millions of on the road. Brands such as Ford, Chevrolet, Dodge, Jeep, Toyota, Honda, and Nissan are industries that have produced cars by the millions. Some are pricey, some are not. However all these cars date back to one particular person. Henry Ford. Ford was not the first person to assemble a car, but his methods and prices were the easiest and cheapest. Cars back in the early 1900's were seen as something only the wealthy could own and were a supreme luxury to own. Growing up, Ford dreamed of making a car affordable for everyone. That he did pretty well. Ford quoted earlier in his life, "I will build a motor car for the great multitude. It will be large enough for the family but small enough for the individual to run and care for. It... will be so low in price that no man making a good salary will be unable to own one." In the 108, the Tin Lizzie, or Model T, was put out onto the market for a starting price of only $850! Families rushed to but this car because they could travel well over 15 miles from their home for the first time in their lives. Many wanted to work for Ford because he paid $5 instead of the $2 or $3 that most factories paid. It may be grueling work at times but they were paid more for shorter hours. Families form everywhere rushed to own one of these remarkable vehicles. results of the automobile In order to make his cars more affordable, Ford introduced what is called an installment plan in 1914. This plan stated that people could pay a small amount at a time for their automobile, instead of saving up for years to make the purchase. Many other companies and industries began to use this model as well. It is obvious that we still use this method today and we very frequently use it. By 1925, the Model T reduced to a price of only $290! The rise of this vehicle caused many industries to grow. Millions of people were needed to make bodies, rubber, glass, steel, and paint for the car. All of these specifications needed someone to fill the spot, so many people found work. Another industry that grew was the road making industry. Millions of dollars were spent paving roads, fixing roads, and making bridges so it was safe for drivers. Gas stations, restaurants, motels, car insurance, and car repair shops were opened and boomed as well. This invention was in fact part of the Booming 1920's. assembling the model t. Making a car can be a long, hard, and skill-demanding process. To reduce to the time of making the Model T, Ford introduced the moving assembly line. "This system used Conveyor belts to move parts and partly assembled cars from one group of workers to another." (Social Studies book pg. 755) One worker may be skilled in putting on tires but not skilled is assembling the frame. One worker will be at one spot in the line and the other will be at another spot, working to assemble the product. The assembly line involves many parts and many workers at different stations. Conveyor belts move the product alond and the worker does the same job over and over again. Instead of workers going to the parts, the parts came to the workers. For the Model T, The chassis and the engine are put together on two different lines, and workers on a third line attach them together. The assembled chassis then goes on to be connected with the body of the car. With so many people working at once, the time it takes to produce a product can be cut in half very easily. Almost all factories and product making businesses today use the assembly line. It has changed since then to make it even easier than it was before. Check out the assembly line below!
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April 2018
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