The Life of

Henry Ford

Childhood

• Born on July 30, 1863, Henry was the first of William and Mary Ford’s six children.

• He was raised on a farm in what is today Dearborn, Michigan.

• At an early age, he showed an interest in mechanical things and a dislike for farm work.

Age 2 ½

Teenage Years• In 1879, Ford left home for the city of

Detroit to work as an apprentice machinist, although he did occasionally return to help on the farm.

• 3 years later, when he returned to the farm, he divided his time between operating or repairing steam engines, working in a Detroit Factory, and over-hauling his father’s farm implements.

Clara Bryant

• In 1888, Henry Ford married Clara Bryant.

• He supported himself and his wife by running a sawmill.

The Engineer

• In 1891, Ford became an engineer with the Edison Illuminating Company in Detroit.

• His promotion to Chief Engineer in 1893 gave him enough time and money to devote attention to his personal experiments on internal combustion engines.

• These experiments culminated in 1896 with the completion of his own self-propelled vehicle-the Quadricycle.

The Quadricycle

• It had 4 wire wheels that looked like heavy bicycle wheels.

• It steered with a tiller like a boat.

• It had only 2 forward speeds with no reverse.

The Quadricycle is built on a steel frame with no body. The dash is made of wood, and the seat is toolbox-like, covered in green cloth with metal arms. There is an electric bell in front of the dash and a bicycle lamp on the side.

Ford Motor Company

• After 2 unsuccessful attempts, the Ford Motor Company was finally incorporated in 1903.

• Henry Ford served as vice-president and chief engineer.

• The company produced only a few cars a day at the Ford factory on Mack Avenue in Detroit.

• Groups of 2 or 3 men worked on each car from components made to order by other companies.

A Dream RealizedHenry Ford realized his dream of producing an automobile that was reasonably priced, reliable, and efficient with the introduction of the Model T in 1908.

(We will take a closer look at the Model T in just a few moments…)

Highland Park Factory

• To meet the growing demand for the Model T, the company opened a large factory at Highland Park, Michigan in 1910.

• In 1913, Ford introduced the continuously moving assembly line.

One day’s production at the Highland Park plant, August

1913.

Effects of the Assembly Line

It revolutionized automobile production by reducing assembly time per vehicle, thus lowering costs.

Getting PaidIn 1914 Ford announced his plan to share the Ford Motor Company’s Profits with workers, paying them $5.00 a day for an 8 hour work day.

What was the reaction to

dollars

a day?

Let’s read a few excerpts and find out!

Let’s Write!• Now that we have looked at the Qualifications for

Profit Sharing and the reactions to $5.00/day let’s write Henry Ford a letter!

• You will write a one page letter as if you were one of his workers encouraging him to pay you and your co-workers $5.00/day.

• Make sure your letter is formatted like a persuasive essay with a – Well developed thesis in your opening paragraph– Body paragraphs that include informative

arguments, opposing arguments and a refutation– A conclusion

River Rouge Plant

• Construction of the plant began in 1917.

• The massive plant included all the elements needed for automobile production: a steel mill, glass factory, and automobile assembly line.

• By September 1927, all steps in the manufacturing process from refining raw materials to final assembly of the automobile took place at the vast Rouge Plant, characterizing Henry Ford’s idea of mass production.

Ariel view, 1930

Just a few additional facts about Henry Ford

• He built and drove race cars early in his career to demonstrate that his engineering designs produced reliable vehicles.

1st Ford Racer, Henry Ford and Spider

Huff, 1901.

Just a few additional facts about Henry Ford

• He owned a controversial newspaper, The Dearborn Independent, that published anti-Jewish articles which offended many and tarnished his image.

Just a few additional facts about Henry Ford

• He sought ways to use agriculture products in industrial production, including soybean-bases plastic automobile components such as this experimental automobile trunk.

Henry Ford hitting a 1941 Ford car made

from soybean plastic.

Just a few additional facts about Henry Ford

• He established schools in several areas of the country that provided educational experiences based on traditional one room school techniques, modern teaching methods, and “learning through doing.”

Henry Ford died at the age of 83, at Fair Lane, his Dearborn home in 1947.

The Model T

The Model TThe Model T initiated a new era in personal transportation. It was easy to operate, maintain, and handle of rough roads, immediately becoming a huge success.

The Model TThe first production Model T Ford was assembled in Detroit on October 1, 1908. Over the next 19 years, Ford would build 15,000,000 automobiles with the Model T engine, the longest run of any single engine apart from the Volkswagen Beetle.

The Model T

From 1908-1927, the Model T would endure with little change in its design. Henry Ford had succeeded in his quest to build a car for the masses.

The Model T & Advertising

By 1914, the Model T was selling so well, Ford saw little reason to spend much on advertising. The company dropped most of its ads in national magazines that year, and in 1917, halted paid advertising altogether. Ford did not buy anymore ad space for the Model T until 1923.

This advertisement appeared in Cycle and Automobile Trade Journal promising a new low-priced automobile for 1908.

Excerpt: "As Per Usual - will eclipse everything else.""There'll be one new runabout - a light roadster that will show the way to everything else on wheels, quality, [...] performance, and appearance beyond compare.""In line for the agency yet?"

This ad appeared in Life magazine on October 1, 1908.

Excerpt:"FORD HIGH PRICED QUALITY IN A LOW PRICED CAR""The Ford Four Cylinder, Twenty Horse Power, Five Passenger Touring Car $850.00 Fob. Detroit""We defy anyone to break a Ford Vanadium steel part with any test or strain less than 50% greater than is required to put any other special automobile steel entirely out of business."

The Model T also came in the form of a delivery truck, and this advertisement from a 1912 Automobile Trade Journal contrasted the cost of keeping a horse vs. keeping a Ford.

Excerpt:"FORD The Universal Car""Ford delivery cars cost but $700 f.o.b. Detroit - complete with all equipment."

Ad No. Ford magazine 46 - McKinney, Marsh, & Cushing, Inc. Detroit, Michigan

Excerpt:"COMPANION OF HER HOLIDAYS" "Anticipation of a joyous, carefree vacation are abundantly realized when a Ford closed car provides easy access to town or country.""An increasing number of women who prefer to drive their own cars, are selecting the Ford Fordor Sedan [...]"

Are you ready for

your assignment

?!

You are going to create an advertisement for the Model T.

Your ad must include a picture (but not necessarily of a car), a “catchy slogan,” and at lease 3 features from the sales literature or model catalogue that I have provided for you.

A few reminders:

• Recall what the textbook said about cars. (Page 516.)

• Recall what we talked about in the PowerPoint. (Cars = Freedom.)

• Decide who Ford would have advertised his car to.

• Decide what features these people would have been most persuaded by.

Lastly, remember that although it has never been proven that Henry Ford ever said it….

“You can buy the

Model T it any

color...

…as long as its

BLACK.”Regardless of who said it, this phrase has survived for 3/4 of a century and does indicate something about America's beloved Model T: its "steadfastness," its enduring and endearing "sameness."