Term paper on Ford Model T

Ford Model T

RESOURCE GUIDE

Henry Ford introduced his Model T automobile in 1908. By 1913, he had developed the means to mass-produce his invention through a highly efficient assembly line. Determined that his workers and the average American should be able to afford an automobile, he used technology and labor efficiencies to hold down the cost of his product. During the 1920s, the automobile galvanized the economy. The number of registered automobiles soared, as did the automobile service industry. Under intense pressure from his chief rivals, General Motors and Chrysler, Ford built the last ‘‘Tin Lizzie” (Model T) in 1927 and introduced the Model A the following year.

Suggestions for Term Papers

1. Discuss the early years of automobile development in the United States .

2. Why did Henry Ford succeed while so many other automobile makers failed?

3. Analyze the challenge of General Motors and Chrysler to Ford during the 1920s.

4. How important was the automobile to the American economy during the 1920s?

5. How did the automobile change American life during the 1920s?

REFERENCE SOURCES

The ABC-CLIO Companion to Transportation in America . William L. Richter. Santa Barbara , CA : ABC-CLIO, 1995. Alphabetically arranged entries (persons, issues, themes) with comprehensive coverage of topic from prehistoric footpaths to space travel.

Encyclopedia of American Business History and Biography . New York : Facts on File, 1988–1990. 3 vols. Most important to this topic are the volumes edited by George S. May: The Automobile Industry 1896–1920 (1990) and The Automobile Industry 1920–1980 (1988), treating events, accomplishments, and personalities. The other volume, Railroads of the 19th Century , is edited by Robert L. Frey (1989).

GENERAL SOURCES

Dammann, George, and Jim Wrenn. Packard . Osceola , WI : Motorbooks International, 1996. Complete history of one of Ford’s competitors from its beginning in 1899 to its demise in 1958.

SPECIALIZED SOURCES

Bryan, Ford R. Henry’s Lieutenants . Detroit : Wayne State University Press, 1993. Good history of the company and its executives, as well as Ford.

Ford, Henry. Ford on Management . (1922, 1929). Reprint. New York : B. Blackwell, 1989. Ford’s own story reprinted from two books, My Life and Work (1922) and My Philosophy of Industry (1929).

———, and Samuel Crowther. Today and Tomorrow . (1926). Reprint. Cambridge , MA : Productivity Press, 1988. Describes the management of the company.

Hooker, Clarence. Life in the Shadows of the Crystal Palace , 1910–1927: Ford Workers in the Model T Era . Bowling Green , OH : Bowling Green State University Popular Press, 1997. Examination of the lives led by the Ford industry workers in Highland Park , Michigan .

Sorensen, Lorin. The American Ford. (1975). Reprint. Osceola, WI : Motorbooks International, 1990. Brief, useful history of the company and the industry.

BIOGRAPHICAL SOURCES

Batchelor, Ray. Henry Ford: Mass Production, Modernism, and Design . New York : Manchester University Press/St. Martin’s, 1994. Brief, informative biography of Ford, with an emphasis on his automobile design features and production.

Bryan, Ford R. Beyond the Model T: The Other Ventures of Henry Ford . Rev. ed. Detroit : Wayne State University Press, 1997. Treats the many sides of Ford in addition to his life as an automobile industrialist.

———. The Fords of Dearborn . Michigan Sesquicentennial, ed. Detroit : Harlo, 1987. A good treatment of the Ford family in covering the life of Henry Ford.

Gelderman, Carol W. Henry Ford: The Wayward Capitalist . New York : St. Martin ‘s, 1989. An informative examination of the many faces and phases of Henry Ford.

Newton , James D. Uncommon Friends: Life with Thomas Edison, Henry Ford, Harvey Firestone, Alexis Carrel and Charles Lindbergh . San Diego : Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, 1987. The story of the author’s friendship with some of the world’s most celebrated personalities.

Olson, Sidney . Young Henry Ford: A Picture History of the First Forty Years . (1963). Reprint. Detroit : Wayne State University Press, 1997. A concise and interesting illustrated study of Ford and the industry.

Wik, Reynold M. Henry Ford and Grass-Roots America . (1972). Reprint. Norwalk , CT : 1989. The collector’s edition of an earlier work pub lished by the University of Michigan . Describes Ford’s appeal in rural regions.

AUDIOVISUAL SOURCES

The Story of Henry Ford . Chicago : Questar Video, 1991. Videocassette. 55minute presentation in black and white with original footage, along with commentary and interviews. Part of an eleven-volume series, Famous Americans of the 20th Century .

WORLD WIDE WEB

The Model T . 1997. http://www.fordlincmerc.com/vford932.html Provides a brief history from 1908 to 1927, as well as a picture of Ford with his auto. Useful examples of advertising and product literature, along with specifications and more photographs. Maintained by a Ford dealership in California .