How Did Henry Ford Change American Society

What would modern life in America be like without the automobile? Henry Ford’s Model T automobile allowed many to travel freely for the first time, and consequently, the lifestyles of many Americans changed. Similarly, Ford’s innovative mass-production methods revolutionized American industry. Additionally, the benefits workers received while working for Ford were equally important as they increased the standard for what they could expect from their jobs. Through his brilliant innovations, Henry Ford heavily impacted American society.

Henry Ford’s Model T automobile was his most famous innovation, and it dramatically changed the landscape of American society. Before the Model T, automobiles were mostly a luxury belonging to the upper class.

The most famous way Ford advocated for his employees was how he increased their pay while decreasing their hours. At the beginning of the production of the Model T, the assembly line system required a lot from Ford’s workers for it to stay on track and on time. As a result, working a job at Ford’s company was tough and grueling. Due to its difficulty, the labor turnover was extremely high. In order to keep a workforce of 14,000 working full-time, more than 52,000 men were hired by Ford because workers kept abandoning their jobs (Stanford). Eventually, Ford got tired of the uncertain status of labor he had in his company. His aspirations would not be possible without a workforce to keep his assembly lines moving. To solve this massive problem, he made a change that would eventually become a standard for the industry: workers would be paid $5 a day after only working eight hours. This change was monumental at the time, as it doubled the usual pay of workers in the industry while reducing the amount of time they would have to work by a whole hour (Gelderman). Upon revealing the new terms for his employees, he received lots of praise for being a great humanitarian. What mattered most was how the huge labor turnover previously experienced by Ford had disappeared. Workers were willing to work the arduous assembly lines after receiving more pay and hours off the

As stated before, much of Ford’s workforce was made up of immigrants from foreign countries. As a result, many who worked at his factories knew little English. Hence, to solve the communication problem presented by the language barrier, Ford started a school for his workers. At every factory, classes taught before and after each shift would include subjects such as English, hygiene, and finances (Stanford). Through learning proper hygiene practices, workers would be able to stay healthy and be more presentable to society. Additionally, classes on finance helped teach them to manage their money well, since many were not used to being paid $5 a day. On the whole, the lessons taught at Ford’s school allowed his workers to prosper. Thus, through wages, employment, and education, the American workforce benefited from the innovations of Henry