Was Henry Ford A True American

“Coming together is a beginning, staying together is progress, and working together is success” (Ford). Henry Ford was born in Michigan, and later died there, at the age of eighty-four years old. With a net worth of 188.1 billion dollars, based on data from 2008, Ford was a true American. He founded Ford Motor Company and had a son named Esel Ford with his wife, Clara Jane Bryant. Henry Ford, a man with exceptional ideas, revolutionized the automobile industry, making it an indispensable part of American culture.

In this era in time, cars were a lavish luxury that required a chauffeur to drive, and were not affordable to the average American. With his innovative ideas, Ford was able to change this. While he did not invent the automobile itself,

The assembly line reduced the length of time it took to build a car by half the time, thus making it less time consuming and expensive than individually hand-crafting the car. The workers worked on the same parts continuously on a loop so as to perfect the process. However, he did not pocket the extra money being made by the swift production, instead he reduced the cost of the car which, in turn, allowed them to sell more and eventually increase profit. Henry Ford created the idea of the assembly line which both sped up-- and lessened the price of-- the process of making cars, which caused an influx in product. So instead of all the workers producing one car at a time; all working on the same one, everyone worked on different parts at the same time, allowing them to produce more cars at a faster rate. “Prior to the introduction of the assembly line, cars were individually crafted by teams of skilled workmen - a slow and expensive procedure. The assembly line reversed

This model made it possible for people to drive in a well-made car and, due to such great ideas, it was made to function so well that the car could go long distances enabling people to no longer have to take trains as a sole method of transportation. The Model T became so popular that the price was lowered even more, and accordingly, even more cars were purchased, sending the ford industry soaring. “The Model T made its debut in 1908 with a purchase price of $825.00. Over ten thousand were sold in its first year, establishing a new record. Four years later the price dropped to $575.00 and sales soared. By 1914, Ford could claim a 48% share of the automobile market” (Henry Ford Changes the World, 1908). He sold many cars and provided thousands with new ways of affordable transportation, changing our world by allowing people the freedom to go wherever they want, whenever they want. “It also allowed for faster delivery of goods and services because doctors, mail carriers, and small businesses owners could afford these horseless carriages, Anderson says” (Henry Ford, the Man Who Changed America) As a result of him making the Model T and creating further, more advanced cars, such as the mustang, people who needed to travel for work were able to do it faster. If there were people in need or dying he made is assessable to reach them faster and