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Dean 1


Brandon Dean


Ms. Bennett


British Literature


16 September 2011


                             The History of the Ford Motor Company


       When people think about the vehicle, they do not think about the person who made it--

anything they just get in and drive. The person who invented the vehicle is Henry Ford, and if it

were not for him we would not have the concept of the car. Henry Ford saved people from

walking everywhere and he made it so people could go places faster and not have to stop in

between. Think about it: wouldpeople want to walk from the house to the mall or to the store to

buy food. People need to realize and be thankful for Henry Ford and his accomplishments and

take time to learn about his life, foreign affairs, and the Model-T Ford.


       Henry Ford was born July 30, 1863 and he was the sixth child of Mary and William Ford.

He grew up on his family farm in Dearborn, Michigan. He was a typical nineteenth-century kid.

He spent his days in a one-room school and doing chores around the family farm. At an early age

he strayed away from farm work and showed an interest in mechanical things. When he was

sixteen he left the family farm and went to the nearby city of Detroit. He worked as an apprentice

machinist and from time to time returned to help on the family farm. Over the course of the next

few years Ford spent his time repairing steam engines and finding occasional factory work in

Detroit. When Ford married Clara Bryant in 1888 He supported himself and his wife by running

a saw mill (The Henry Ford: The life of Henry Ford).
Dean 2


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

When he did this, he signified a great decision on his part to dedicate his life to industrial

pursuits. Henry was promoted to Chief Engineer, which gave him enough time and money to

give attention to his personal experiments on internal combustion engines. His experiments came

together in 1896 when he completed his own self-propelled car called the Quadricycle. It had

four wheels and looked like a heavy bicycle. The Quadricycle was steered with a tiller like a boat

and had only two forward speeds and no reverse.Ford was not the first to build a self-propelled

vehicle that ran on gasoline, but was one of the automotive pioneers that helped this country

become a nation of motorists (The Henry Ford: The life of Henry Ford).


       Ford tried two times to get his company up and running to manufacture automobiles, but

he was unsuccessful. In 1903 the Ford Motor Company was finally incorporated and he was

vice-president and chief engineer. The Ford factory would only produce a few cars a day and it

was located in Detroit. Groups of two to three men worked on each car. Ford realized that his

dream had come true when he introduced the Model-T in 1908. Half of America owned a Model-

T by 1918. His life was not all about cars, though; in 1918 he lost his bid for U.S. Senate. He

also helped in the World War I effort by sending his “peace ship” which would help the effort to

end the war. By 1919, Henry’s son Edsel B. Fordwas named president of the Ford Motor

Company. The Ford Motor Company focused on air transportation in 1926 and developed the

Tri-Motor airplane (Fascinating Facts about Henry Ford).


       In 1927, the production of the Model-T had ended and the Model-A was introduced. By

1932, the Ford Motor Company introduced the first ever V-8 car. Ford resisted the workers

efforts to be unionized, but in the “Battle of the Overpass”, because fights broke out between

Ford security staff and United Auto Workers’ or The Union and the courts ordered Ford to not
Dean 3


interfere with union activity. In 1943, tragedy struck; at the age 49, Ford’s son Edsel B. Ford

passed away. A few years later in 1947 Ford passed away at the age 83 in fairlane at his

Dearborn home(Fascinating Facts about Henry Ford).


       DuringWorld War II, the Ford Motor Company had dealings with Germany and England

until Ford ran into some problems with Germany, because of the war and the third Reich. By the

time nationalism was established in Germany, Ford had problems out of the country.When a new

plant was constructed in Cologne in 1931, the business received a bad name, because its owners

were Ford's American company and England’s company. The Nazi government gave Ford

problems with their nationalist sentiments in Germany. The company became alarmed by the

falling sales and responded by trying to make matters up with the Nazi government (The Ford

Motor Company and the Third Reich).


       Even though the company was alarmed, it remained an isolated and marginalized

business, despite Hitler’s personal regard forthe anti-Semitism of Henry Ford, and the mass

production capacity Ford had made famous. Ford’s foreign affairs meant that the company

lacked credibility like other businesses that had credibility. Ford also lacked the size that the

General motors’ subsidiary had or the credibility that the other companies had. The German

government treated Ford as “the producer of the last resort” when it came to government

contracts. Ford’s existence in Nazi Germany was threatened by low sales to the nationalistic

general public and the threat that government would confiscate his place of business(The Ford

Motor Company and the Third Reich).


       In the 1930’s the manager of the Ford subsidiary in Germany felt so threatened by the

Third Reich that the company consistently sought to flatter itself with the Nazis in order to keep
Dean 4


the company operable. In 1936 Ford was denied certification as a national producer, and the

certification was needed to be awarded government contracts for manufacturing. Denial of

certification was a major blow to the German subsidiary of the Ford Motor Company. The

subsidiary knew that the road to economic liberation meant submitting to the Nazi government’s

demands even if that meant limiting the contract of the Dearborn office or taking away from the

Dearborn office. The company also feared for the existence of their own jobs (The Ford Motor

Company and the Third Reich).


       The company officials were scared that political appointees did not do their jobbut, the

management in Cologne calmed the Nazis concerns about their company’s loyalties in at least

three ways. The first way was the introduction of a racial criterion for the hiring of new

employees. Foreign and Jewish members were removed from the subsidiaries’ management

board despite the opposition of Henry Ford. In 1936 the first Jewish manager was removed but

Ford himself was able to successfully reverse the decision. In 1940 control of the subsidiary

shifted to Cologne, and Ford was unable hold up further dismissals (The Ford Motor Company

and the Third Reich).


       The second way to gain the company loyalties was that the Nazi government, before the

war even started, wanted to increase the import of raw materials that were in short supply. The

short supply also limited Ford’s raw materials by taking away the rubber for his tires. Ford tried

to relieve the Nazi regime and relieve the Nazis own shortages by importing as much raw

material as possible. To end the plan, the Nazis needed currency to fund the purchase of raw

materials. Ford responded by maximizing the export of its finished products. Ford negotiated

with the U.S. and the U.K. in order to secure export markets. The German managers hoped that

these plans would help the company, and the German government would look upon their
Dean 5


business more gracefully and that the success would help save their jobs(The Ford Motor

Company and the Third Reich).


       From 1909 to 1927, the Ford Motor Company produced more than fifteen million Model

T cars. Without a doubt Henry Ford transformed the economic and social fabric of the Twentieth

century. The first assembly of the Model-T Ford in 1909 was at the Piquttee Avenue Plant in

Detroit on October 1, 1908. Over the years few changes were made to the basic design. By 1926

the Model-T design could not compete with competitors like Chevrolet. 1927 was the last year

for Henry Ford’s production of the Model-T (The Model-T Ford).


       Henry Ford’s Model T would change the world forever. In 1906, he built a secret spot to

build his cars and the first concept was the Model-N. Ford spent over two years designing the

Model T. In 1909, for $825 a Ford customer could purchase the reliable car and Ford would sell

over ten thousand Model-T cars in the first year. Ford applied the assembly line to his factories

in late 1913. Due to the success of the Model-T he made different versions of the Model-T for

example, the coupe and couplet. The Model T will forever be known as the first reliable and least

expensive car (A Timeline of Ford Motor Company).


       Henry Ford’s life was full of excitement from the invention of the Model T to the foreign

affairs over in Germany. He never stopped living his life to the fullest and made himself a name

that will live on forever. People get in their cars in drive, never thinking about who made them or

who came up with the idea well next time; think about where the world would be if Henry Ford

had never existed.

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The History Of The Ford Motor Company

  • 1. Dean 1 Brandon Dean Ms. Bennett British Literature 16 September 2011 The History of the Ford Motor Company When people think about the vehicle, they do not think about the person who made it-- anything they just get in and drive. The person who invented the vehicle is Henry Ford, and if it were not for him we would not have the concept of the car. Henry Ford saved people from walking everywhere and he made it so people could go places faster and not have to stop in between. Think about it: wouldpeople want to walk from the house to the mall or to the store to buy food. People need to realize and be thankful for Henry Ford and his accomplishments and take time to learn about his life, foreign affairs, and the Model-T Ford. Henry Ford was born July 30, 1863 and he was the sixth child of Mary and William Ford. He grew up on his family farm in Dearborn, Michigan. He was a typical nineteenth-century kid. He spent his days in a one-room school and doing chores around the family farm. At an early age he strayed away from farm work and showed an interest in mechanical things. When he was sixteen he left the family farm and went to the nearby city of Detroit. He worked as an apprentice machinist and from time to time returned to help on the family farm. Over the course of the next few years Ford spent his time repairing steam engines and finding occasional factory work in Detroit. When Ford married Clara Bryant in 1888 He supported himself and his wife by running a saw mill (The Henry Ford: The life of Henry Ford).
  • 2. Dean 2 Ford became an engineer with the Edison Illuminating Company in Detroit in 1891. When he did this, he signified a great decision on his part to dedicate his life to industrial pursuits. Henry was promoted to Chief Engineer, which gave him enough time and money to give attention to his personal experiments on internal combustion engines. His experiments came together in 1896 when he completed his own self-propelled car called the Quadricycle. It had four wheels and looked like a heavy bicycle. The Quadricycle was steered with a tiller like a boat and had only two forward speeds and no reverse.Ford was not the first to build a self-propelled vehicle that ran on gasoline, but was one of the automotive pioneers that helped this country become a nation of motorists (The Henry Ford: The life of Henry Ford). Ford tried two times to get his company up and running to manufacture automobiles, but he was unsuccessful. In 1903 the Ford Motor Company was finally incorporated and he was vice-president and chief engineer. The Ford factory would only produce a few cars a day and it was located in Detroit. Groups of two to three men worked on each car. Ford realized that his dream had come true when he introduced the Model-T in 1908. Half of America owned a Model- T by 1918. His life was not all about cars, though; in 1918 he lost his bid for U.S. Senate. He also helped in the World War I effort by sending his “peace ship” which would help the effort to end the war. By 1919, Henry’s son Edsel B. Fordwas named president of the Ford Motor Company. The Ford Motor Company focused on air transportation in 1926 and developed the Tri-Motor airplane (Fascinating Facts about Henry Ford). In 1927, the production of the Model-T had ended and the Model-A was introduced. By 1932, the Ford Motor Company introduced the first ever V-8 car. Ford resisted the workers efforts to be unionized, but in the “Battle of the Overpass”, because fights broke out between Ford security staff and United Auto Workers’ or The Union and the courts ordered Ford to not
  • 3. Dean 3 interfere with union activity. In 1943, tragedy struck; at the age 49, Ford’s son Edsel B. Ford passed away. A few years later in 1947 Ford passed away at the age 83 in fairlane at his Dearborn home(Fascinating Facts about Henry Ford). DuringWorld War II, the Ford Motor Company had dealings with Germany and England until Ford ran into some problems with Germany, because of the war and the third Reich. By the time nationalism was established in Germany, Ford had problems out of the country.When a new plant was constructed in Cologne in 1931, the business received a bad name, because its owners were Ford's American company and England’s company. The Nazi government gave Ford problems with their nationalist sentiments in Germany. The company became alarmed by the falling sales and responded by trying to make matters up with the Nazi government (The Ford Motor Company and the Third Reich). Even though the company was alarmed, it remained an isolated and marginalized business, despite Hitler’s personal regard forthe anti-Semitism of Henry Ford, and the mass production capacity Ford had made famous. Ford’s foreign affairs meant that the company lacked credibility like other businesses that had credibility. Ford also lacked the size that the General motors’ subsidiary had or the credibility that the other companies had. The German government treated Ford as “the producer of the last resort” when it came to government contracts. Ford’s existence in Nazi Germany was threatened by low sales to the nationalistic general public and the threat that government would confiscate his place of business(The Ford Motor Company and the Third Reich). In the 1930’s the manager of the Ford subsidiary in Germany felt so threatened by the Third Reich that the company consistently sought to flatter itself with the Nazis in order to keep
  • 4. Dean 4 the company operable. In 1936 Ford was denied certification as a national producer, and the certification was needed to be awarded government contracts for manufacturing. Denial of certification was a major blow to the German subsidiary of the Ford Motor Company. The subsidiary knew that the road to economic liberation meant submitting to the Nazi government’s demands even if that meant limiting the contract of the Dearborn office or taking away from the Dearborn office. The company also feared for the existence of their own jobs (The Ford Motor Company and the Third Reich). The company officials were scared that political appointees did not do their jobbut, the management in Cologne calmed the Nazis concerns about their company’s loyalties in at least three ways. The first way was the introduction of a racial criterion for the hiring of new employees. Foreign and Jewish members were removed from the subsidiaries’ management board despite the opposition of Henry Ford. In 1936 the first Jewish manager was removed but Ford himself was able to successfully reverse the decision. In 1940 control of the subsidiary shifted to Cologne, and Ford was unable hold up further dismissals (The Ford Motor Company and the Third Reich). The second way to gain the company loyalties was that the Nazi government, before the war even started, wanted to increase the import of raw materials that were in short supply. The short supply also limited Ford’s raw materials by taking away the rubber for his tires. Ford tried to relieve the Nazi regime and relieve the Nazis own shortages by importing as much raw material as possible. To end the plan, the Nazis needed currency to fund the purchase of raw materials. Ford responded by maximizing the export of its finished products. Ford negotiated with the U.S. and the U.K. in order to secure export markets. The German managers hoped that these plans would help the company, and the German government would look upon their
  • 5. Dean 5 business more gracefully and that the success would help save their jobs(The Ford Motor Company and the Third Reich). From 1909 to 1927, the Ford Motor Company produced more than fifteen million Model T cars. Without a doubt Henry Ford transformed the economic and social fabric of the Twentieth century. The first assembly of the Model-T Ford in 1909 was at the Piquttee Avenue Plant in Detroit on October 1, 1908. Over the years few changes were made to the basic design. By 1926 the Model-T design could not compete with competitors like Chevrolet. 1927 was the last year for Henry Ford’s production of the Model-T (The Model-T Ford). Henry Ford’s Model T would change the world forever. In 1906, he built a secret spot to build his cars and the first concept was the Model-N. Ford spent over two years designing the Model T. In 1909, for $825 a Ford customer could purchase the reliable car and Ford would sell over ten thousand Model-T cars in the first year. Ford applied the assembly line to his factories in late 1913. Due to the success of the Model-T he made different versions of the Model-T for example, the coupe and couplet. The Model T will forever be known as the first reliable and least expensive car (A Timeline of Ford Motor Company). Henry Ford’s life was full of excitement from the invention of the Model T to the foreign affairs over in Germany. He never stopped living his life to the fullest and made himself a name that will live on forever. People get in their cars in drive, never thinking about who made them or who came up with the idea well next time; think about where the world would be if Henry Ford had never existed.