Essay about How the automobile impacted the 1920s

Submitted By jone2960
Words: 2029
Pages: 9
Open Document
Ellen Jones
December 1st, 2014.
HIST 3821

The Automobile and how it Established Social Change in the 1920’s:
Final History Paper.

Nothing else has changed American history more than the automobile did. With its luxurious interiors and sophisticated style, it was what everybody dreamed of, and everybody had to have it. With the rise of the automobile in the 1920s due to the Ford Model T by Henry Ford, there was social changes happening all over the country. There was now more freedom of choice, a changed women, new abundant jobs, new businesses, new laws, independence, and new traveling. As we know, there were cars created before the 1920s, but they were unreliable, and really only for the rich because they were extremely expensive. With all of the dramatic changes in the 1920s, without a doubt, nothing symbolizes this era more than the automobile does. The automobile was first invented in 1890 with the idea of a self-propelled vehicle, but Henry Ford is the man who really changed the game with creating the Ford Model T and producing it from 1908-1927 in Detroit, Michigan. Henry Ford literally changed the 1920s, and the entire world with his product. He had invented many cars before had succeeded, ones that would overheat, no breaks, and would only run for short amounts of time, although he was never convinced he had failed, everything was only a minor setback. He never gave up, and he always stayed motivated, and that worked out for him tremendously. As a school dropout in 8th grade, you may not expect much out of him, but he was greatness. Once he produced the model T, he figured out how to bring the production time down from 12 hours, to a short 60 minute with his highly efficient assembly line. There was more than 15 million Model T cars produced1, it was an inexpensive luxury item that all people in society could enjoy, and they did, thanks to Henry Ford of Michigan.
With the large numbers of cars being produced, Ford new that the prices had to stay low to be able to accompany the ones who were not of the rich, high class, so he took the already known assembly line method, and went crazy with it. The work days were long and the labor was strenuous, so Henry Ford paid above average higher hourly wages, and reduced the work day from 12 hours, to only 8 hours,2 which was heaven for the working man. He also created something for a while that is referred to as the five dollar day, which attracted many new immigrants to come and work, so they could now support themselves and their families. With the new desirable work day, it brought in thousands of workers to Detroit, Michigan, and helped build the United States middle class and the modern day economy. At the Ford Motor Company, there was more than just the regular white man working, there was actually over 62 different nationalities of workers at the company, and the working conditions were also adaptable for people who happened to be disabled, and jobs were ready for the ones who were injured in World War 1. And the jobs don’t stop in the company, to even have the workers on the assembly line they need the parts to work with! So the need for workers in the steel, rubber, oil, glass, and gasoline businesses also multiplied remarkably. So after Ford created the luxurious eight hour work day, that set the standard for other manufacturing work places across the country, and throughout the entire world,3 so now the workplace was definitely improved, and forever changed!
More than anything the automobile has changed, I strongly believe it has had the greatest impact on the American women. It increased their role in society, and made them important and noticed, and as a women myself, I find that very important. There was no longer the struggle of being cooped up in a house all day, doing endless chores, because you could now escape those boundaries! You did not have to make all of your own clothes and all of your food from complete scratch, and your daily chores were cut
Show More

Related Documents: Essay about How the automobile impacted the 1920s

1920 s Essay

03 October 2014 1920s For the United States of America, the decade following the end of World War I was a time of profound change. The prosperity of the 1920s was a time for the growing nation to experience crucial transformations in the way it earned its keep, organized work affairs, and enjoyed leisure activities. Attributes like technology, business corporations, organized crime, women’s rights, equality, and media were developing and becoming more prominent aspects of daily life in the 1920s. The…

Words 1753 - Pages 8

Book Review: Daily Life in the United States, 1920-1940 Essay

Book Review: Daily Life in the United States, 1920-1940 The way Americans lived their lives was drastically changed between the years of 1920 and 1940. Many different events and advances in technology happened within the country during this time period. Events such as the stock market crash in 1929, the dust bowl of the 1930’s, and, due to an increase in urbanization, the uprising of major cities. Also advances in technology transpired, such as the invention of the radio and Henry Ford’s assembly…

Words 1185 - Pages 5

Did Prohibition Positively Impact Women In The 1920's

impact women in the 1920’s? This time period will be focused on to exhibit how the 19th amendment affected women, as the amendment was passed August 18, 1920. The first source that will be evaluated in depth is a book by Frederick Lewis Allen, “Only Yesterday: An Informal History of the 1920's”, written in 1931. Allen has been Nominated for the “National Book Award for Nonfiction” and studied at Harvard University. His book, “Only Yesterday: An Informal History of the 1920's”, provides ample description…

Words 1752 - Pages 8

Similarities Between Henry Ford And The Dodge Brothers

The invention of the automobile, an incredible feat of engineering, vastly impacted the economy during the Industrial Revolution. One of the first developers of the car was a man named Henry Ford. In the beginning of his automotive production, he outsourced major components to other companies, one of which was the company run by John and Horace Dodge. The Dodge Brothers business relations with the Ford Motor company grew more and more until, one day, after getting in a fight, the Dodge Brothers sued…

Words 1232 - Pages 5

Essay On Counterculture

Many events and cultural shifts have impacted today's United States. Counterculture began due to how much free time there was after World War I. People were exposed to new ideas and challenged the traditional values in society. Women fought to change their social status in society. One of the rights they fought to change was the right to vote. The Flappers were one of the major traditions or the start of counterculture because it tempted lifestyle change in a bad way. Smoking, drinking and sex became…

Words 1403 - Pages 6

Essay On Electric Cars

of increased importance in the effort to stay away from fossil fuels and imported energy. Oil is not becoming any cheaper and is also becoming less plentiful. The need for a popular and cheaper alternative is on the rise. Which raises the question: How cheap is an electric compared to a petrol- fueled car? According to Chevy their new car the Volt operates on a $1.60 a day. Matthew Rudy of Golf Digest asserts “It doesn’t get much simpler than that. For less than the cost of a latte, you can fully…

Words 4335 - Pages 18

Historical Development of Police Agencies Essay

advancements in communication and transportation led the charge of better policing, allowing police to go far beyond the capabilities of policing in the past. Maintaining regular communication through radio and telephone coupled with the high mobility of automobiles, allowed for increased response times. The social and technological changes brought about in the 20th century continued the evolution of the police; they…

Words 1536 - Pages 7

Great Depression Research Paper

varied across nations, but in most countries it started in about 1929 and lasted until the late 1930s or early 1940s.[1] It was the longest, most widespread, and deepest depression of the 20th century, and is used in the 21st century as an example of how far the world's economy can decline.[2] The depression originated in the United States,…

Words 7222 - Pages 29

Midterm 1 Sample MC Questions 1 Essay example

can manufacture, supply, and consume all that it produces. d. changing climate patterns 8. Approximately how much trade crosses the Canada–U.S. border each day? a. $1.2 million b. $150 million c. $500 million d. $1.4 billion 9. When in marketing history did the production era end in North America? a. late 1800s—with the mass immigration of skilled workers to North America b. 1920s—with the improvement in production capabilities c. 1960s—with the establishment of overseas production facilities…

Words 8567 - Pages 35

Managing Information Technology (7th Edition) Essay

CONTENTS: CASE STUDIES CASE STUDY 1 Midsouth Chamber of Commerce (A): The Role of the Operating Manager in Information Systems CASE STUDY I-1 IMT Custom Machine Company, Inc.: Selection of an Information Technology Platform CASE STUDY I-2 VoIP2.biz, Inc.: Deciding on the Next Steps for a VoIP Supplier CASE STUDY I-3 The VoIP Adoption at Butler University CASE STUDY I-4 Supporting Mobile Health Clinics: The Children’s Health Fund of New York City CASE STUDY I-5…

Words 239873 - Pages 960