Henry Ford was the first child to a very prosperous family in what is now known as Dearborn, Michigan. Very early on, to the dismay of his father, he began to show a huge interest in mechanics and not so much interest in farming. At age 16, he left his parents home and became an apprentice to a mechanic in Detroit. He did that for three years and then moved back to Dearborn. He did odd jobs and helped his father. He was married in 1888 to Clara Bryant and supported the 2 by running a saw mill.
In 1891, Ford, along with his wife, moved back to Detroit and became an engineer for the Edison Illuminating Company (The Henry Ford). After only two short years he was promoted to Chief Engineer and devoted his life to mechanics and the combustible engine. Ford’s first big break came with his Quadricycle in 1896. Though it was not the first self propelled engine of its kind it had four wheels and two speeds (The Henry Ford).
Ford Motor Company:
Many would be surprised to find out that before Ford Motor Company was a thriving business, there were two failed attempts by Henry Ford to establish a company that manufactured automobiles. Ford Motor Company started as a small company with Henry Ford as the Vice President; as well as chief engineer. Their ‘assembly line’ consisted of groups of two or three men working to construct one car. In 1908 transportation advanced even more with the invention of the Model T. By 1910, the Ford Motor Company had moved and began to produce parts for the vehicles in house, create more interchangeable parts, and form an assembly line that would take car building to the next level. Ford’s assembly line of men consisted of one man doing one thing to each vehicle. The parts would be delivered to the worker by means of conveyor belt as would the piece they are assembling. Because of the assembly line, Ford Motor Company was able to produce more cars at a faster pace, thus making them cheaper to construct and sell. Not only did Ford’s assembly line change the face of the car industry but other industries as well.
In the 1920s Ford Motor Company began to grow rapidly. By this time the Model T was selling for only $360 per vehicle and the assembly line was becoming more and more productive (Spartacus). In a 24 hour time span Ford Motors could produce 10,000 cars and by 1927 Ford had sold more than 15 million Model Ts. Henry Ford wanted to appeal to all of America not just the wealthy. According to American-business.org, not only did the Model T make if affordable for most Americans but he also was the first to implement a payment plan for vehicles. The increased the sales for Ford Motor Company as well as Ford’s and the company’s image.
But, with every great business boom comes an ugly turn. General Motor’s Chevrolet was outselling the Model T and was by far the more popular car by the late 1920’s (Spartacus). Henry Ford had not had a mind for making more model before 1927, he though the Model T was all he needed.
During the Second World War Ford and Ford Motor Company helped produce more than 8,000 bomber engines as well as helped in the production of other military equipment. During Roosevelt’s presidency the New Deal was introduced and Ford refused to support is as well as the United Automobile Union Workers (Spartacus). Though Ford died in 1947, the Ford Motor Company is still one of the top selling and producing car companies in the world.
Sites I used:
Kelsey Christensen
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