How Did Henry Ford Use Mass Production In The 1920's

He had his workers work less, with more breaks, and he also payed them almost twice as much as other jobs. As Eric Foner states, “Ford paid the assembly line workers $5 a day when prevailing wages were about $2.50...he also reduced working hours to 8.” With this, workers were more likely to work harder and better, which led to more productivity. The productivity was not done alone, the infrastructure of the assembly line is very critical to the production process. This was done by, as Robert Sobel states,” ...conveyor belts in the assembly line that brought parts to the workers to perform their specific task.” All this improved the production rate and it satisfied the workers. Many may say the assembly line removed individuality, however it brought faster, better, and cheaper production to the Ford Motor Company.

It also made production easier, faster, and cheaper since workers made an abundant of products within a short amount of time. Mass production in factories was possible because of the invention of machineries, leading to products being made without costing businesses as much money compared to if the products were hand made. Because products were made in factories, this also caused retail prices of the products to decrease while there was always accessibility for the supplies. The establishment of large corporations replaced small businesses, which was good news for the wealthy but bad news for individuals who owned their own small stores.

The 1920 's were a time where North America became modernized. Whether it was the music, the culture or the growth in technology, this time era is known to most people as the point where America advanced itself to become a world renowned country. An advancement that will be focused on is the Ford Model T. During this time owning a car was a symbol of wealth. Henry Ford, the creator of the Model T, made a system that revolutionized the automobile industry as we know it today. Henry Ford made it possible for people with an average income to own a motor vehicle by creating the assembly line and the theory of mass production. "The horse, which had been the chief means of land transportation for 3,500 years, had given way to the automobile, and

In the late nineteenth century, technological advances provided inexpensive production methods through industrial manufacturing. One of the innovations that shaped the way the American industrial worker’s job was the steam engine by James Watt. Before the steam engine, the only methods of power were by wind, water, or hand, which made factories, for example,

Mass production became a new phenomenon that led to a drastic change in America's economy. This lead to specialization of labor causing a decrease in skill among the workers who would consistently produce one aspect of a product until “there is no more of that kind of work to do” and are then helpless (Doc C). This approach to manufacturing caused unstable jobs due to the fact that they were easily replaceable being that their jobs required minimal skill or knowledge. As mass production boomed, it led to a decrease

Machines running, hammers dropping, and drills drilling are the sounds of Henry Ford’s revolutionary assembly line. Henry Ford grew up in the late eighteenth century during the industrial revolution. There were no electric lights, only gas lamps and candles. Horses and trains were the only cost effective way of transportation for the public. When Henry Ford was a child, he saw a steam driven car on the road and was mesmerized. At this point, he knew he longed to become a mechanic that works on cars. At the age of sixteen, Henry Ford got a job as an apprentice machinist in Detroit at the Detroit Dry Dock Company. Three years later he returned to work on the family farm, and became adept at operating the

Producing improved methods on machinery use, spread throughout American industry after the civil war. This created a higher quantity of products at a faster pace. At times product were being produced so rapidly that this caused an over stock of merchandise because sales were not able to move as fast as the products were being

The economic boom of the 1920’s enhanced the everyday life of Americans. Mass production of goods made prior tasks, such as washing clothes, simple and allotted woman to have leisure time. The assembly line utilized by Henry Ford made the production of automobiles cost less lowering the price for consumers. The amount of cars sold from 1921-29 went up from 1.5 million to 4.5 million. (Document 9) With more leisure time because of useful inventions people sought activities to occupy their free time. Radios grew increasingly popular and steadily increased to be in 10 million households in 1929. (Document 9) The economic power held by the U.S permitted technological advances to be attainable, which unconstrained the daily lives of many Americans.

In 1908 Henry Ford had constructed the Model T; the time it took him to create this automobile was 13 days. Now eager to achieve more, Ford knew that he needed a place to construct these cars. He also knew that to sell mass amounts he would have to sell cheap, and buy parts and supplies even cheaper (Douglas, 25). The construction of the first Ford Motor plant used the world’s only conveyer belt. This was part of the Fords plan to build fast, when he constructed the assembly line cars were pumped out in as fast as 15 minuets, this was down from 19 days. Ford was able to make the automobile a car for everyman, a working man with a family.

The greatest thrust was the industrial revolution in which factories with mass production became the predominant employer of many regions. The working hours were often 14 hours and more per day, without breaks, seven days a week and the salaries were too little to afford much. In the 1920s, automobile

Mass production during the 1920s fed the mass consumerism that had emerged among the American

Many Americans spent their new disposable income on the automobile, which was one of the most significant innovations of the decade. It helped further stimulate the American economy while also improving transportation. Whereas only the wealthy and elite owned automobile prior to this decade, the advent of mass production made the automobile accessible to everyone. Mass production made it much easier and faster to make automobiles,

Contrary to Wilson’s decrepit car garage, the auto repair industry changed rapidly in growth as well as in jobs during the early twentieth century, while further straddling a wedge within the social hierarchy as automobiles became more widespread in usage. The automobile industry became an oligopoly with the formation of the Big Three: Ford, General Motors, and Chrysler (controlling 70% of the industry), as the rest produced luxury vehicles for the upper class (Batchelor). Companies such as Ford evolved their vehicles, such as introducing interchangeable parts, enabling the expansion of tools used by mechanics (“The Auto Mechanic’s Trade”). Combined with the increased usage of mass production techniques, as well as the First World War creating

These theories were proven relevant by their popularity (Brooks, 20) “Taylor’s thinking preceded the widespread adoption of mass production techniques, possibly best demonstrated by the early 1920’s motor manufacturers, most significantly Henry Ford in the USA.” Production lines were sequential and followed a strict rule of the “one best way” which may be because the new industry and workers did not have a large amount of knowledge or expertise on how their jobs should be done.

This use of factories increased economic growth two-fold and “facilitated economies of scales in mass-produced goods and the introduction of new technology for accelerating production” (Evans 110). Mass production made usually expensive items, such as shoes, less expensive and easily affordable by lower class and less wealthy people, which improved the quality of life and spurred on more advancement. One such advancement was James Watt's improvement of the steam engine, which shifted factory power from water to steam, making possible steam driven machinery. This also led to an increased demand for iron and coal, which in turn led to an increase in the mining industries.