Automobiles in the 1920’s
One of the most popular inventions that we take for grated everyday is the automobile. This makes travel really efficient and affordable for the average middle-aged person, although it didn’t start off that way. Probably no invention affected American everyday life more than the automobile in the 20th century.
Automobiles affected life in many ways, mainly by providing more jobs and allowing people to gain more freedom. Due to the automobiles, more jobs became known such as, city and highway construction, gas stations, auto repair shops, and more, which allowed employment for the vastly growing population (The 8). “The growth of the automobile industry caused an economic revolution across the United States. Dozens of spin-offs industries blossomed. Road construction created
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thousands of new jobs, as stores and local governments began funding highway design” (The Age 4). Soon enough, the federal government even became involved through the Federal Highway Act of 1921. Gas stations began to be made and mechanics began to earn a living fixing unavoidable problems that were sure to happen. When the demand for automobiles increases, so did oil and steel, which became two well-known industries (The Age 5). Automobiles also affected cuisine. The typical American foods such as hamburgers, fries, and milkshakes were now on the roadside diner (The Age 6). Drivers wanted a cheap and quick way to pick up foods so they can be on their way. Automobiles also opened up a variety of where people were able to work. The automobiles were able to create mobility on a scale that was never known or done before, and because of that it had a total effect on living habits and social ways. During the times of horse-drawn transportation, the average limit of wagon travel was around ten to fifteen miles, meaning that a community or individual from a city, railroad, or navigable waterway, was unfortunately isolated from the mainstream of social life. Now, farmers can easily drive to town when needed and institutions such as schools and hospitals are now easily accessible (The 6). Better roads were created which helped further increase transportation. Before automobiles were invented, people worked where they lived. For example, if one lived in the city they were to work in the city and same if one were to live on a farm, but now people were able to work where they wanted with the help of automobiles. The automobiles affected Americans in a great way socially. The freedom of owning an automobile encouraged many family vacations to places that seemed impossible to get to in the past. Also, teenagers were able to receive more independence with driving freedom (The Age 7). Because people would go on long road trips with the use of their automobiles, travelers needed shelter therefore motels soon started to become another high demand (The Age 5). After a while, Americans began to experience traffic jams for the first time as well as accidents and fatalities. Because of this, demands were made for licensure and safety restrictions on a state level (The Age). All in all, Americans loved their automobiles and as more were purchased the more the drivers saw their worlds grow larger. Technology for the automobiles existed around the 19th century. In 1914 the Model T was created and sold for $450. By 1920 it became popular and there were over eight million registrations. Automobile ownership grew tremendously over a short period of time and the number of registered drivers almost tripled to twenty three million by the end of the decade (The Age 3). The mass production of the automobiles was successful thanks to Henry Ford and his brilliant idea of creating the assembly line in 1913. This innovation was able to decrease the time it took to manufacture a car from more to twelve hours down to two hours and thirty minutes (Ford’s 1). During the beginning of the century, automobiles were known as the transportation market as a toy for the rich.
But as years gone by, automobiles became increasingly possible among the overall population because of the freedom it provided. “By the early 1920s, more than 5 million Model T’s had been produced” (Ford 4). As a result of the automobiles becoming popular, it became cheaper and more assessable to the middle class. “From the beginning, Ford decided to manufacture automobiles that could be bought by the average citizen, as cheaply as possible. This was a radical departure in the early automobile industry because most cars were priced higher and aimed at a more well-heeled customer” (Ford 2). Making automobiles more assessable to the middle class was easier to make happen thanks to two important things that Henry Ford did. First, he managed to price his car to be as affordable as possible and second, he paid his workers enough to be able to purchase their own cars (The 4). Henry Ford usually paid his workers around five dollars, which was never done before, in hopes that it would increase their productivity. Luckily by doing this, it helped push sales
upward. Automobiles changed Americans life in many ways. From being able to provide many jobs to making travel easy, automobiles was probably one of the best inventions that helped the 20th century grow as a nation. It improved the access of road to many people from different areas. The automobile brought many people together and it was a time of reckoning for people all over. Thanks to the automobile, life was efficient. Works Cited "The Age of the Automobile." Ushistory.org. Independence Hall Association, n.d. Web. "Ford, Henry." N.p., n.d. Web. "Ford’s Assembly Line Starts Rolling." History.com. A&E Television Networks, n.d. Web. "The History of the Automobile." The Impact of the Automobile on the 20th Century. N.p., n.d. Web.
As James Flink points out in The Automobile Age, the village store and the local banks were the businesses most vulnerable to the new competition (47). Robert E. Wood, former vice president of Sears, explains how businesses moved to the suburbs, "When the automobile reached the masses, it changed this condition [the funneling of consumers into the town centre] and made shopping mobile. In the great cities Sears located its stores well outside the main shopping districts, on cheap land, usually on arterial highways, with ample parking space (Wollen 13)." Thus city centers came to be seen as sites of congestion, whereas the surrounding areas were regarded as accessible and convenient. The rapid proliferation of shopping complexes outside of the city center in the 1950s left down town a crime-ridden wasteland of vacated stores. City centers no longer featured traditional shops; instead they contained gas stations, parking lots, and inns whose focus was on the travelers and their cars (Wollen 13).
The automobile was only used by less than ten million Americans and by the end of this post-war decade that number had climbed to over thirty million. Many new inventions were coming through, making life for Americans much more comfortable. Radios, vacuum cleaners, irons, washing machines, and refrigerators were among the new necessities Americans just had to have. Refrigerators allow for better production and transportation of food products. This allowed for the ability to keep food cold and fresh, thus making exporting of food a valuable agricultural economy.
Many new industries were developed to support mass production of goods, such as, roads, tires, and all the items it took to build a vehicle for the automobiles.(David Shannon, 217) The chemical industry grew in the United States after First World War because America couldn't get the chemical anymore they had gotten from Germany. (Shannon, 219) Americans wanted the access to electric power which included: lights, radios, and washing machines. There was a mass movement of people from the country to the city looking for jobs. The rural life couldn't support a family like urban living could, people left the farming industry and moved to the manufacturing industries which damage the ability for agricultural to survive.(Shannon, 219) The effects of prosperity revolved around the automobile specifically younger people's ability to escape adult supervision.
When the Model T Ford was first being produced, it would have costed $850 to buy one. But then when mass production was introduced, the price was reduced to $290. This meant that practically everyone that worked, could afford a car. There were also many consumer goods, such as radios, hoovers and washing machines, being produced. Another reason why people could afford to buy these luxuries, was that wages rose to over 50cents and hour.
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 the country's largest industry had been born." (Gordon)
Factories and places of work were changed by welfare capitalism the provided workers with shorter hours, paid vacations, and sick days. The workplace also changed due to the invention of new products. One product that was developed in the 1920s was the automobile. The automobile was already invented at the time, but it was made much cheaper and more accessible to the general public. Henry Ford was the founder of the Ford motor company who “built the famous Model T car that was affordable to the middle class due in part to the efficiency of his signature assembly-line manufacturing technique”(Riggs). Not only did Ford make a model of car that was affordable to people in the middle class, he also developed techniques for manufacturing, like the assembly line, that we still use today. He was able to find a way to modernize the model and price of the cars and also the workplace that they were made in. The development of cars also made it possible for suburbs to develop. Judith Baughman says that the suburbs were developed due to the ability to get there with automobiles (Baughman). Cars made is possible for people to easily get in and out of the city, and since more people were able to afford them, the suburbs were able to expand even more. The advancement of automobiles was a step in modernizing the country because of the new methods of transportation and the new techniques used in
As early as the 1870’s, the American public started putting all their work and effort into the growth and development of only a few industries like the Automobile industry. The
The 1920s exploded with fast paced and lively creativity and culture that influence the world, yet no invention affected American everyday life in the 20th century more than the automobile. The rapidly growing automobile industry led by Henry Ford and the Ford Motor Increased wages and lower cost vehicles made possible through mass production meant that cars became increasingly affordable, although 3 out of 4 cars were bought on installment plans. Company produced new and better models every year to supply the insatiable public demand( http://www.1920-30.com). With, automobiles it made it easier for people to go place to place, it also was affordable for the people to buy. The automobiles were easy to make because of the assembly line in that
The solution is the assembly line. With the assembly line, the time to create one car dropped from 12 hours to 90 minutes. The price of the automobile also fell greatly, which further increased the demand. The automobile industry inspired other industries to form, such as the steel, rubber, petroleum, machine tools, and road building industries. But life wasn't just peaches and cream in the 1920's.
on a car as it passed them. A skeleton of a car went in and after each
Have you ever thought of what the world would be like without the automobile? This paper will talk about the things the automobile has helped create. Inventors first started experimenting with steam powered engines in the late 18th century. Cars began being produced and sold to the public in the 1890’s (Automotive History). The automobile is considered to be one of the greatest inventions of all time. As a result of the automobile, cities changed, jobs were formed, and the environment was impacted.
Henry Ford was one of the most important and influential inventors and businessmen in the short history of America. He revolutionized the business world and he changed forever the efficiency of factories around the world. One of the reasons that Henry Ford can be considered such an important man is that his ideas and concepts are still used today. Boron on July 30, in the year of 1863, Henry Ford was the oldest child of the family. His parents, William and Mary Ford, were “prosperous farmers” in his hometown of Dearborn. While they we’re well off for farmers, Ford certainly wasn’t spoiled and fed from silver spoons. Ford was just like any other typical young boy during the rural nineteenth century. From early on there we’re signs that Henry was going to be something more than a farmer. He looked with interest upon the machinery that his father and himself used for their farming, and looked with disdain at the rigorous chores of a farmer. In the year 1879, Henry being a meager 16 years old, he moved to the city of Detroit where he would work as an apprentice machinist. Henry would remain in Detroit working and learning about all varieties of machines. Although he occasionally came back to visit Dearborn, he mostly stayed in Detroit, picking up more and more valuable knowledge. This apprenticeship allowed him to work in the factories of Detroit and learn what a hard working blue-collar job was like. When he did return to Dearborn he was always tearing apart and rebuilding his fathers machines, along with the dreaded farm chores. Henry Ford was a hard worker and that was proven by him getting fired from one of his jobs in Detroit because the older employees we’re mad at him because he was finishing his repairs in a half hour rather than the usual five hours. Clara Bryant would represent the next step in now twenty-five year old Henry Ford’s life. The two lovers we’re married in 1888 and would endure good times as well as bad. In order to support his new wife Henry was forced to work the land as he ran a sawmill that was given to him by his father. His father actually attempted to bribe Henry to stay in the farming business as he gave him the land only under the condition that he would continue on as a farmer.
Before the automobile, people both lived in the city and worked in the city, or lived in the country and worked on a farm. Because of the automobile, the growth of suburbs has allowed people to live on the outskirts of the city and be able to work in the city by commuting. New jobs due to the impact of the automobile such as fast food, city/highway construction, state patrol/police, convenience stores, gas stations, auto repair shops, auto shops, etc. allow more employment for the world's growing population.
The economic boom started with many different events but the most important event was the improvement of technology. The automobile started to boom with the new assembly lines and other inventions. During this time period it became the most significant industry. This made other industries boom as well, because the need of materials to make the automobiles. The industries that were needed for make the automobile were the steel, rubber, glass, tool companies, oil corporations and road construction. The need for these materials made them boom because the automobile industry was producing many cars at that time. Since there was an increase in the automobile industry this made it possible for an increase of suburban housing, fueling and an increase in the construction industry. “Electronics, home appliances, plastics and synthetic fibers, aluminum, magnesium, oil, electric power, and other industries fueled by technological advances-all grew dramatically” (citethisshit). One in every six Americans owned a telephone by the late 1930s and they were about 25 million telephones in the United States. “...
In this year Henry Ford created the first affordable, combustion engine car called the Model-T. The creation of the Model-T changed the lives of every American. Vehicles were looked at as a way of freedom and excitement. Soon after, every household in America had a car. The demand for vehicles sparked a whole new industry, creating jobs, more revenues and improving the American economy in every way. With so many vehicles on the roads, roads needed to become bigger and better which spawned a nation wide road construction. This also created more jobs and strengthened the economy even further. (Inventions: Car)