Tara Prentice
Expo 11
Period 3
21 March 2015
What really does effect society? Manufacturing efficiency and speed would forever be changed after December 1, 1913. This revolutionary date is when the Assembly Line was invented. This allowed automobiles to be mass produced at a faster rate and for interchangeable parts to have a bigger impact in manufacturing. Henry Ford, the inventor, had forever changed the productivity rate of his company for years to come. The introduction of the assembly line is similar to the introduction of Apple products by Steve Jobs to American society. This allowed people to become more connected and led to the evolution of modern technology. Although they both faced success, both of these innovations had different routes to stardom as well as their effect on American society. Objects were being produced to slow for Henry Ford’s liking. The introduction of the Assembly Line “changed the time it took to build a car from 12+ hours to 2 ½ hours” (History.com). This increased his factories’ productivity immediately. Now 4 cars could be built in the same time it took 1 to be built. “Ford’s 1914 production rate of 308,162 eclipsed the number of cars produced by all other automobile manufacturers combined” (Goss). This increase of production rate is a direct result of the assembly line. The need for mass production was answered swiftly and efficiently with the assembly line. The assembly line has many positive attributes. The assembly line “could stamp out parts automatically (and much more quickly than even the fastest human worker could)” (History.com). This revolutionized how long work days were for society. This changed work days to 8 hours. Now that there were interchangeable parts it allowed room for error and more exploration in the world of technology. The assembly line is also given credit for “building the middle class and fostering the Great Migration of workers from the South to the industrial mid-west” (Ford Corporate). The Assembly Line forever changed American society by giving middle class people an opportunity to live and try to chase the American dream with more time in there day as well as allowing more inventions to be concocted. More and more people were given an opportunity and this fueled Americans to dream the impossible and shoot for the stars. Henry Ford is a perfect representation of the American Dream. “Henry Ford’s dream of a car which anyone could afford to buy, which anyone could drive anywhere, and which almost anyone could keep in repair” (Sorenson). Ford wanted to create a situation in which Americans could decide their own fate and could become successful with hard work. This was the right path chosen, Ford putting society first over his own success ultimately led to his unbelievable success. “If the development of the moving assembly line was Henry Ford’s claim to fame in the eyes of industrialists, manufacturers and business men, then establishing the $5 per day wage was his way of guaranteeing success” (Ford Corporate). This created a very positive workforce whom were willing to be trained and always willing to do their job which led to a very strong company. How strong a company is and the limits they are able to break are solely based on how strong its foundation is. Because Ford took that leap of faith, he attained more success than he could have ever imagined. The assembly line is the primary mode of manufacturing in industry today. The path Ford chose definitely led to inconceivable success for him and his company, “… on June 4, 1924 the 10-millionth Model T rolled off the Highland Park assembly,” (History.com), because Ford never gave up and instilled the never give up attitude into his company they were able to achieve this amazing feat. The assembly line forever effected American society raising “the base pay of plant workers form $2.34 for a nine hour day to $5 for an eight hour day” (Ford Corporate). This idea of minimum wage and the eight hour work