The automobile being invented was truly something no one anticipated would be this special. When people hear or think about the automobile, the first name that typically comes to mind is often that of Henry Ford. Although he isn’t being given the credit for the invention of the automobile, Henry Ford did play a significant role in the development aspect. The automobile was first invented in Europe in 1771 with the highest speed of 2.3 miles per hour.
Invented in 1889 by a man by the name of Gottlieb Daimler, the milestone car was produced and the vehicle traveled at 10 miles per hour (Brown, 105). Due to many of these cars not being produced overseas, not many people had ever seen one, let alone have access to one. It wasn’t until Henry Ford invented the assembly line that anyone knew what the car was. Henry Ford and the invention of the assembly line changed the American economy for the better and transformed how people traveled everywhere.
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Born in Michigan as the first of William and Mary Ford's six children, Henry Ford had an extremely high imagination. With this great imagination of his, and his fascination with technology, he spent lots of time inspecting watches and trinkets to figurer out how things worked. (Auto 2). Since Henry did not take interest in school, he began constructing things at a very young age. At a young age, Ford understood the importance of money. However, he struggled to understand that in order to make money the way he wanted to, he’d have to stay in school in order to get a degree that would get him a good job and in turn get him the money he wanted. Ford thought that if he skipped school during the day that he could work and make more money. At the young age of fifteen, Ford dropped out of school and began working at a relative’s farm. In 1879, Ford left home at the age of sixteen years old for the nearby city of Detroit to work as an apprentice machinist. Occasionally he returned back to his relative’s farm in order to help out. Before returning to Dearborn, he remained an apprentice for three years.
During the next few years, Henry divided his time between over-hauling his father's farm implements, operating and repairing steam engines, and finding occasional work in a Detroit factory, as well as lending a reluctant hand with other farm work. Henry Ford married Clara Bryant in 1888 and in order to support himself and his wife, he ran a sawmill. Ford has been putting car parts together since 1891. In 1908, pithing 13 days, Henry Ford constructed the Model T.
Ford, eager to accomplish more, knew that he needed a place to manufacture these cars. He also knew that in order to sell mass amounts of these cars, he would have to sell them for a cheap price and buy parts and supplies for an even cheaper price (Douglas, 25). The construction of the first Ford Motor plant used the world’s only conveyer belt. This was part of the Ford plan to build quickly. When he constructed the assembly line, cars were assembled and sent out in as fast as 15 minuets. Ford was able to make the automobile a car for every man or a working man with a family.
America was truly astonished by the invention of the assembly line. With the Ford Motor Company able to mass produce these cars, people were able to drive everywhere and anywhere. Ford's invention also created many jobs. Henry Ford basically created a middle class for American Society with higher wages and fewer hours. At this period of time, no other company had a shorter work day. As Ford produced and sold more cars he raised the wages. The American economy began to strengthen as more work became available to the people. Roads needed to be paved and gas stations needed to have attendants. Because the automobile became an everyday car, people began to travel more which helped the hotel industry boom. The market for tourism had evolved because of this boom. Business owners all over America began to love Henry Ford; for his invention was bringing them in more money then they had ever hoped. The reason the car became so popular was that the price did not raise and it was very affordable. Ford was able to sell the Model T for only 293 dollars (Douglas 34). More and more investors wanted to back Ford’s invention but Henry Ford bought all of his investors out. Overall the United States felt the greatest and most significant impact from the invention (Brown, 10). The United States also kept up with the development and strengthened its popularity. By 1912 there were over 7,000 Ford Motor Company Dealers across the country, just four years after the car was released. Production finally stopped on the Model T in 1927 over 15 million cars had been sold. Henry Ford didn’t produce another model until the Model A in 1928. Henry Ford’s role model as an inventor was Thomas Edison. Both men were alike in there futuristic designs and ambition to go further with their inventions (Laccoce, 189).
The automobile has come a long way since its beginning in 1771. Cars now are able to reach top speeds of over 400 miles per hour. Concept cars have 1000 horsepower, and racing cars has become a sport (Parks, 52). That car has brought America more revenue than ever thought of.
Other countries have adapted the design and continuity of engineers from America. Today cars are designed with more of a sense of style. The price has also come a long way since the debut of 293 dollars. New cars range anywhere from 10,000 dollars to 300,000 dollars, and design and speed is a large factors. Cars have become something to love, something to collect, and something to cherish. With race tracks all over the country spectators are able to view a wide variety of cars racing at high speeds against each other. These races are also broadcast over TV and attract large crowds.
Not only did Ford's success as an entrepreneur benefit him. But it also benefited hundreds of others with similar ways of thinking. There are thousands of parts to a car and for every part, there is someone out there that thought of that idea, produced it, and made money from it.
Without the automobile, there would be no such thing as car stereo, car upholstery, aftermarket car parts, or gas stations. Without the invention of the assembly line many of the products that we use today would never have been produced because of the time it would take to be made, and without those products, the inventors would never have had success.
In conclusion, by inventing the assembly line, Henry Ford changed the face of history in the American economy and revolutionized travel everywhere. The mass production of the automobile made America’s economy stronger and helped people, financially, all over the world.
The invention of the assembly line was not only used for producing mass amounts of cars but it was/is also used for many of the products today. It is still the most famous and reliable system of work. At the age of 83, Henry Ford died in 1942 a happy man, still with the desire to do more. He blessed the world with his famous invention(s) and revolutionized America for the better. Think about what life would be like without the automobile, transportation would barely exist or even cease to exist. This man, Henry Ford, is the perfect definition and example of an entrepreneur because he was a man who had the drive and ambition to work and make a successful living from something that he created. “If not for his drive to create a mass amount of automobiles the United States would not have its middle-class today” (Laccoce, 200).
Works Cited
- Douglas, Brian. “The Auto” Inventions of the Future. Random House Publishing 2000.
- Brown, Allen E. “Automobile” Academic American Encyclopedia 100th Anniversary Edition 1995 (volume 2)
- No Author. “Auto” 10/26/2003. (www.ideafinder.com/inventions)
- Lacrosse, Lee. “The Automobile”. 10/26/2003. (www.time.com/time/time100/builderprofile/Ford.html)
- Parks, Wally. “The Future of Cars.” The Fast Lane. Regan Books. New York, New York. 1995
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