I hope this copied. In the beginning I said that I would share more information on Henry Ford, well here it is. It is a paper I wrote a year ago. Pleases enjoy!
Even though the class is over I will continue to post more trivia on Michigan. Until later have a great day!
Cinda
HENRY FORD – CARMAKER, CONTROVERSY
Cinda Hicks
History 223.H01
George Wylie
June 15, 2010
The name Henry Ford is synonymous with inventor, auto industrialist, the forty hour work week, anti-labor unions, B-24 bomber manufacturer, politician, newspaper owner, international entrepreneur, and anti-Semitism. Ford was a man of controversy to say the least. He was both loved and hated by many for his generosity to his employees in the beginning, to his racist remarks about Jews, and his views on welfare recipients.
In 1906, Henry Ford founded the Ford Motor Company, at the age of forty three. However this was not his first car company. The first company he started was the Detroit Automobile Company, with the financial backing of lumber baron William H. Murphy in 1899. Ford produced his first car in 1901 and actually raced the car; it was such a success that the stockholders changed the name of the company to Henry Ford Company. When Murphy made Ford chief engineer and started bringing in other people to actually manage the company Ford severed all ties. In 1902, Mc Murphy and the stockholders changed the name of the company to Cadillac Automobile Company.
In 1902, Ford started a new company and partnership with the backing of Alexander Malcomson, a local coal dealer. The new company was named Ford & Malcomson Ltd. Ford leased a factory and contracted machine shop owners John and Horace Dodge to supply over $160,000 in parts where Ford continued to work on inexpensive cars and developed an 80 horsepower racer that ended up setting a new land speed record for the one mile race. Race car driver Barney Oldfield dubbed the car “999” because of its success. In the beginning sales were slow and Ford and Malcomson were having a hard time paying for their parts when the Dodge brothers demanded payment for their parts that they had supplied it seemed the only way out of the financial commitment they had with the Dodge brothers was to sell them a portion of the company in lieu of payment. The company was then reincorporated and called the Ford Motor Company in 1903.
Ford wanted to invent a car that would out shine the Oldsmobile by being lighter, repairable and more economic for the middleclass consumer. Professor Rubenstein states, “Ford sought to democratize the car, so that everyone could afford one” (Rubenstein 194). Ford’s first attempts were failures in the weight and affordability areas to say the least. Within the next three years Ford had finally found his prize in the production of the Model N. that would at least place in a competitive market with Oldsmobile and Buick. Not only did Ford want to be competitive he wanted to supersede his competitors. It would take another two years for Ford to reach that pentacle. Rubenstein says “In 1908, Ford unveiled the automobile which made him famous – the Model T” (Rubenstein 195). The nickname for the car was the Tin Lizzy. Ford believed in economic independence and refused to buy product from other countries to build his cars. At the Rouge plant he produced his own steel for the cars he tried supplying his own rubber for tires by stating a rubber plantation in South America, but that turned out to be one of his failures. According to Wikipedia, “He believed that international trade and cooperation led to international peace, and he used the assembly line process and production line of the Model T to demonstrate it”. In 1911 and 1912 Ford started assemble plants in Canada, England and Italy. It wasn’t until the 1920’s Ford started plants in Germany, Australia, India Russia and France.
The promotion for the vehicle was simple it played on the consumers sense of trust in Ford’s prior products, their dependability and durability. One of Fords advertising slogans Rubenstein says was, “Don’t Experiment, Just buy a Ford” (Rubenstein 195). As the saying goes “if isn’t broke don’t fix it.” That seemed to be the dilemma Ford was encountering with his Model T. For twenty six years the Model T was available in black only this kept production cost down because the drying time was quicker although you could custom order in red, and It was so dependable and durable that their was no need to replace it. One of the keys to a company making a profit is to have repeat business with its consumer with the Tin Lizzy it was to well made and lasted forever or so it seemed. Obviously it was a good time to introduce something new to the public such as: giving them a color, style and luxury. Ford needed to meet the supply and demands of the consumer that the other car companies were offering for the company to continue to grow and prosper, which it did even after his death in 1947.
By 1931 the Model A was introduced to the public available in four colors, a choice of coupe, sedan, convertible, station wagon, town car (all with standard or deluxe variations), taxi cabs, trucks, and commercial vehicles. It also had a four cylinder, safety glass in the windshield, (a first for the car industry) and a standard set of drive controls (brake pedal, clutch, and throttle). Ford was back in competition with the other major automobile manufactures and has been that way ever since.
A major reason for the success of the Ford Motor Company was public adoration. Ford realized his car was affordable to almost everyone except his own employees. In 1914, the meager $2.30 a day his employees were earning was changed to $5.00 a day, and introduced the 48-hour work week eight hours a day 6 days a week making Ford the workingman’s friend, the 40 hour work week 5 days a week eight hour a day did not happen until 1926. His generosity was embraced by all and Ford was considered a hero of the working class and was now a nationally known. Ford also introduced profit sharing as long as an employee had worked for six months and conducted their lives according to Ford’s Social Department’s approval. Ford’s philosophy on morals in the twenties were if an employee used tobacco in any form drank alcohol, used profanity , danced or listened to Jazz or any music by Irving Berlin it was considered a firing offense and they were dismissed from the company and consider contributing to the demoralization of America. Ford was also taken with the speeches of evangelist Billy Sunday and stated if Michigan became a dry state he would turn all the saloons into refineries.
Ford didn’t really have any political aspirations, but in 1915, professor of history and author David L. Lewis stated, “By popular petitions put him on the presidential preference ballot of the Republican party in Michigan” (Lewis 97). Ford thought the whole idea was a joke and put no effort into the campaign, but ended up defeating Senator William Alden Smith. At the national convention Ford was defeated. Ford went on to support democrat Woodrow Wilson for president in 1915. When Ford was asked to contribute to Wilsons war chest he refused, but did do some advertising in Wilson’s behalf.
When Wilson took office the United States World War I had already began. Ford was a pacifist and grew up in a time of peace and was opposed to the war Ford felt that everything could be accomplished by mediation. In 1915 Ford and Lochner went to visit President Wilson and to ask for help to appoint a neutral commission to present these talks between nations. American historian, journalist and honorary professor, Allan Nevins explains what the President said, “He approved of the idea of continuing mediation, but a better plan might be offered. He could not be tied to one project; he must be free” (Vol.3: 29). Ford and Lochner did not like the Presidents answer and decide to do it themselves. Ford and Lochner hired a steamer and gathered many influential friends and set off on their own peace mission. After arriving in Stockholm in January 1916, for the conference all showed up except the warring countries so the peace talks never took place. This was a very risky time to be traveling by ship since the Lusitania had just been sunk by a German U-boat in May of 1915.
Again in 1918 Ford was nominated for senate and lost by a narrow margin to Truman H. Newberry. Rubenstein said that, “Ford petitioned the senate to examine Newberry’s campaign expenditures” (Rubenstein 216). After senate examination Newberry was found guilty and resigned. The seat went to a friend of Fords James Couzens.
Ford tried his hand in the film industry from 1920 to 1925 many theatre’s rented and enjoyed them until the movies became talkies. After that the theatre’s were not that interested in Fords films, their reason in the beginning was that there was to much advertising and then later because of Ford’s newspaper The Dearborn Independent’s Anti-Semitic remarks, and lack of interest. He continued to show his films in churches, schools and at social meetings.
Ford started The Dearborn Independent in 1923 and there were two things that motivated Ford to write a personal journal, the criticism he got giving the $5.00 a day pay, the peace ship and the fact that his son Edsel did not go to war. The second was he felt that he had something to say. Ford believed that the Jews were the cause of all world problems and were trying to destroy Christianity. Rubenstein say “Ford openly blamed Jews for making obscene movies, bootlegging, and spreading immorality through their music, especially Irving Berlin” (Rubenstein 221). Concurring with this statement was a paper written by Jonathan R. Logsdon “Power, Ignorance, and Anti-Semitism: Henry Ford and His War on Jews”, states that according to the Dearborn Independent, “It was the Jews who were bootlegging the liquor during the current prohibition. Jewish professors were the one who corrupted Anglo Saxon minds a coll. Jewish film producers saw nothing wrong with making lewd sex films” (Logsdon 9). There were 90 one week Anti-Semitic campaigns written during the papers existence. As far as the Anti-Semitic statements that Ford lent his name to most think that they were actually the opinions of Ernest Liebold, Fords secretary. With so much bad press and criticism the paper was dissolved in 1927.
On March 7, 1932 3000 unemployed workers gathered outside the River Rouge assembly plant demanding improved working conditions and relief for laid off company employees all Ford and the police could see was a bunch of communists getting ready to riot. The demonstrators were yelling and carrying posters saying, “feed us bread not crumbs” and “ tax the rich and feed the poor” not being allowed admittance to the factory they started throwing rock and concrete at the police. According to Nevins, when the Dearborn police discharged some tear gas the wind blew it back on them. One of the plant security men Harry Bennett wrote “A free-for-all developed and in a short time the Dearborn police had the devil beat out of them” ( Vol.3: 32,33).
Ford had less impact during the 1930’s, one was his age the other was the depression which caused massive layoffs. Lewis says that Ford once stated in 1933, “The Rouge is no longer fun anymore” (Lewis 237). That is when Ford turned his attention to his hobby the Edison Institute (Greenfield Village). Rubenstein explains, “The creation of Greenfield Village was intended as a monument to middle America” (Rubenstein 197). Whereas, The Henry Ford Museum Staff state, “Greenfield Village Museum founded in 1929 as a tribute to the creative genius and achievement of Thomas Alva Edison” (Henry Ford Museum Staff 6). Either way this sentiment was due to Ford’s middleclass values and his gratitude for the loyalty the working class people bestowed upon him and his admiration of Thomas Edison.
Ford was the last of the automobile makers to let the union in his assembly plants, but with the sit-down strike that occurred at the Rouge Plant Ford was ready to break up the company instead come to arrangements with the UAW, his wife helped change his mind for him.
Not long after WWII broke out in Europe in 1941 Ford started building the Willow Run Airport Plant. When the factory was finished in 1943, they started producing the B-24 Liberator Bomber. According to a caption under a picture of the Willow Run plant “This was the first aircraft manufacturing plant to use Ford’s automotive mass production techniques” (http:// thehenryford.artehouse.com). The assembly plant was working 24hr shifts and was producing one B-24 every 59 minuets. The pilots were actually sleeping at the factory waiting for the bombers to come off the assembly line. The Willow Run Plant continued build bombers until the end of the war.
With the death of Ford’s son Edsel, Henry again officially took the reigns and was head of the company. Failing in health and mind Ford held that position until the end of the war. The presidency of the company was finally handed over to Henry Ford II in 1945. The man who brought industrialization to our lives and lived a life of controversy, Henry Ford died at the age of 83 in 1947 at home.
Work Cited
“Henry Ford.” Wikipedia. 3, June, 2010. Wikipedia the Free Encyclopedia. 4, Jun 2010.
Lewis, David L. “The public Image of Henry Ford.” ed. Wayne State University Press, 1976.
Logsdon, Jonathan. “Power, Ignorance, and Anti-Semitism: Henry Fords War on Jews.”
Hanover Historical Review. 1999. 10 June 2010. <http://fistor.hanover.edu.1991
hhr99_2.hmtl>.
Nevins, Allan, Frank Ernest Hill. “Ford: Expansion and Challenge:1915-1933 Vol.2.”
New York: Charles Scribner’s sons, 1957. 3 Vols.
Nevins, Allan, Frank Ernest Hill. “Ford: Decline and Rebirth:1933-1962.Vol.3. New York:
Charles Scribner’s and Sons, 1962.
Rubenstein, Bruce A., Lawrence E. Ziewacz. “Michigan: A History of the Great Lakes State.”
4th ed. Wheeling, Ill: Harlan Davidson, Inc. 2008.
The Henry Ford Museum Staff. “ Greenfield Village and Henry Ford.” New York.Crow
Publications, Inc. 1972.
“Willow Run B-24 Bomber Assembly Plant.” The Henry Ford Artehouse. 13 June 2010.
<http://thehenryfordartehouse.com.
