| "One of the greatest discoveries a man makes, one of his greatest surprises, is to find he can do what he was afraid he couldn’t." -Henry Ford (Quotations Books). |
Legacy of a Legend
Henry Ford's ideology had a massive impact on the United States. Making cars cheap and reliable caused America to go on a car-buying frenzy. By the late 1930's, cars were ceasing to be a luxury and beginning to be a necessity. People based many things on the car: where to go, what to do, and when to do it. Before the car, people could only travel so far for whatever reason. Now, the only limits for cars are the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans. And with cars, more and more families could go on vacations and find new ways to pass time. The automobile brought more convience, pleasure, and excitement into peoples' lives than almost any other invention (Bailey). Due to Henry Ford, the nation revolved around cars and became the top selling industry during the time.
The West and Southwest regions of the United States, which greatly developed after the introduction of the car, are made for automobiles. The West and Southwest have many highways and freeways and interstates. Also, there are many stops for people going on long trips. By comparison, the East United States has a much better public transportation system than the West United States. This is due to the way the West was developed. Henry Ford was a pioneer who thought that 'everyone should drive a car,' and this can be seen on the Westside of the U.S. (Brinkley).
The American Industry was forever changed thanks to Henry Ford. Ford set the standard for the eight-hour workday, which is still used today. Before this, companies used to make their employees work as long as it took to finish what they were doing with the same low wage that they were always paid. Not only did Ford set the eight-hour workday, he also set the precedent for minimum wage. Henry Ford's 5 dollar workdays were a great perk for working for his company (Brinkley). At the time, it was seen as absurd, since the average pay was only about $2.34 for nine hours (Bates). Now, it is necessary to pay workers an adequate amount of money. Similarly, his idea of treating workers well lead to a new generation of enlightened employers who would learn that the better workers are treated and paid, the more they will want to work and want to do the best at what they do. In today's society, businesses are responsible for their workers and the way they are treated. Like Henry Ford, businesses have to be able to treat their workers well and also to distribute a reasonable profit at the same time. If a business fails to do so, they will be seen as inhumane and therefore, would lose employees and consumers alike. Thus, Ford was able to set the standard for how employees should be treated and for that, he is seen as the mastermind behind today's corporate responsibilities.
Furthermore, Ford's assembly line system changed the way the automobile industry made cars. This mass-production of cars was a major reason why so many people were able to get their hands on the automobiles. Ford was producing a car every 24 seconds, for hours a day (Brinkley).
The automobile industry was not the only industry that boomed with Henry Ford's invention. Millions of people began to find jobs building roads and highways that would eventually connect America. Also, industries like the tire industry and rubber industry greatly boomed with the mass production of cars. Cars needed tires, and with a car being produced every 24 seconds, that meant a lot of tires. With the increase in tires came the increase in rubber production, since tires are made of rubber. With more automobiles on the road, it meant more automobiles that would break down. This led to the booming mechanics industry that led thousands of people to follow a career in auto mechanics (Allen).
The mass production of the automobile was not perfect. Because there was a massive increase in cars on the road, there was also an increase in the amount of pollution in the environment. Car accidents were also an effect of the high car purchases (Bailey). As a result, Henry Ford can be blamed for other problems we face today dealing with the Earth and the issue of pollution.
The spendings on cars can also be partly blamed for the cause of the Great Depression. After World War I, people began spending more money than they could afford to. With the new era of the 1920's came a new industry called the 'Credit' industry. People could take out money from the bank and then pay it back with interest (Bailey). One of the things that many people bought with credit was the automobile. People wanted cars, and even if they did not have enough money, they would still buy a car with the bank's money. To make a profit, banks would charge interest, which would have the people paying more than the car was worth. When people found out that they could not pay off their debts, the banks and the people ended up losing money. This would ultimately lead to the Stock Market Crash of The Great Depression (Bailey).
Henry Ford put his sweat and blood into helping the United States go places never imagined before, and what he would leave is a legacy that will be felt for ages and ages to come.
The West and Southwest regions of the United States, which greatly developed after the introduction of the car, are made for automobiles. The West and Southwest have many highways and freeways and interstates. Also, there are many stops for people going on long trips. By comparison, the East United States has a much better public transportation system than the West United States. This is due to the way the West was developed. Henry Ford was a pioneer who thought that 'everyone should drive a car,' and this can be seen on the Westside of the U.S. (Brinkley).
The American Industry was forever changed thanks to Henry Ford. Ford set the standard for the eight-hour workday, which is still used today. Before this, companies used to make their employees work as long as it took to finish what they were doing with the same low wage that they were always paid. Not only did Ford set the eight-hour workday, he also set the precedent for minimum wage. Henry Ford's 5 dollar workdays were a great perk for working for his company (Brinkley). At the time, it was seen as absurd, since the average pay was only about $2.34 for nine hours (Bates). Now, it is necessary to pay workers an adequate amount of money. Similarly, his idea of treating workers well lead to a new generation of enlightened employers who would learn that the better workers are treated and paid, the more they will want to work and want to do the best at what they do. In today's society, businesses are responsible for their workers and the way they are treated. Like Henry Ford, businesses have to be able to treat their workers well and also to distribute a reasonable profit at the same time. If a business fails to do so, they will be seen as inhumane and therefore, would lose employees and consumers alike. Thus, Ford was able to set the standard for how employees should be treated and for that, he is seen as the mastermind behind today's corporate responsibilities.
Furthermore, Ford's assembly line system changed the way the automobile industry made cars. This mass-production of cars was a major reason why so many people were able to get their hands on the automobiles. Ford was producing a car every 24 seconds, for hours a day (Brinkley).
The automobile industry was not the only industry that boomed with Henry Ford's invention. Millions of people began to find jobs building roads and highways that would eventually connect America. Also, industries like the tire industry and rubber industry greatly boomed with the mass production of cars. Cars needed tires, and with a car being produced every 24 seconds, that meant a lot of tires. With the increase in tires came the increase in rubber production, since tires are made of rubber. With more automobiles on the road, it meant more automobiles that would break down. This led to the booming mechanics industry that led thousands of people to follow a career in auto mechanics (Allen).
The mass production of the automobile was not perfect. Because there was a massive increase in cars on the road, there was also an increase in the amount of pollution in the environment. Car accidents were also an effect of the high car purchases (Bailey). As a result, Henry Ford can be blamed for other problems we face today dealing with the Earth and the issue of pollution.
The spendings on cars can also be partly blamed for the cause of the Great Depression. After World War I, people began spending more money than they could afford to. With the new era of the 1920's came a new industry called the 'Credit' industry. People could take out money from the bank and then pay it back with interest (Bailey). One of the things that many people bought with credit was the automobile. People wanted cars, and even if they did not have enough money, they would still buy a car with the bank's money. To make a profit, banks would charge interest, which would have the people paying more than the car was worth. When people found out that they could not pay off their debts, the banks and the people ended up losing money. This would ultimately lead to the Stock Market Crash of The Great Depression (Bailey).
Henry Ford put his sweat and blood into helping the United States go places never imagined before, and what he would leave is a legacy that will be felt for ages and ages to come.
(Source of Image 1: Downloaded from http://www.speedace.info/automotive_directory/car_images/ford_model_t_henry.jpg).
(Source of Image 2:http://i227.photobucket.com/albums/dd39/TINS24651/ford/daca81cf.jpg).
(Source of Image 3: Downloaded from http://media.photobucket.com/image/henry%2Bford%2Btime/TINS24651/ford/daca81cf.jpg).
