Changing America

People who led the way by introducing something new and different have profoundly changed society in many positive manners. One great example of this is a man by the name of Henry Ford.  Born in rural Michigan in 1863, he would become a big factor in changing how Americans live their lives.  

For did not invent the car. What he did was devise a way to produce cars in a more efficient and faster way that would lower its cost of production. He introduced the mass- assembly line of manufacturing cars.  Instead of producing the car one at a time, it would be made in sections; parts of the car would be assembled along a line that would ultimately end up with a finished car that could be produced in 93 minutes instead of 728 minutes. It was an extremely wide difference in time and improved efficiency.

Ford did not stop there; since he wanted to make cars for the multitude he increased the wages of his workers so they would be able to afford his cars. To top this off he even shorten work from 9 to 8 hours per day. It gave more free time for his workers, but it also allowed him to have 3 shifts per day.  This was all made possible because he could now produce the Model T more cheaply.

Making an affordable car changed America forever. People could travel great distances. Home no longer had to be that near to work and vacations and leisure trips around the country became a reality.  Ford pushed for more and better roads and gas stations as well creating jobs and new enterprises in the process.

He was a tour de force in the shaping of modern America.