My essay

Trevor Karsh
May 2011
¾
Henry Ford

Mass production. Its how Americans live, and it wouldn’t have been alive, if this brilliant man hadn’t been born. Henry ford was born on July 30th, 1863, on a farm near Detroit. He died on April 7th, 1947, at age 83. When he was fourteen, his father gave him a pocket watch, which he disassembled and reassembled. He did that to friends and neighbors watches, so people called him the watch repairman. In this essay, information will be given about Henry Ford’s life and career.

When Ford was fourteen, his father gave him a pocket watch, which he disassembled and reassembled. He did that to friends and neighbors watches, so people called him the watch repairman. At age sixteen, he left home to go to Detroit to work as a machinist apprentice. When he was finished, he went back to the family farm, where he became familiar with the steam engine.

In 1891, Ford became an engineer with the Edison Illuminating Company. After he was promoted to Chief Engineer in 1893, he had enough time and money to work on his personal experiments on gas engines. Ford designed, built, and successfully raced a 26-horsepower automobile in October of 1901.

The Model T was introduced on October 1, 1908. It had the steering wheel on the left. The entire engine and transmission were enclosed, the four cylinders were cast in a solid block, and the suspension used two springs. The car was very simple to drive, and easy and cheap to repair. It was so cheap at $825 in 1908 ($20,100 now) that by the 1920s, a majority of American drivers had learned to drive on the Model T.

Henry ford died on April seventh, 1947, of a cerebral hemorrhage. A public cerimony was held at Greenfield Village where up to 5,000 people per hour filed past the casket. Funeral services were held in Detroit's Cathedral Church of St. Paul and he was buried in the Ford Cemetery in Detroit. In conclusion, Henry Ford died as an engineer, a revolutionist, and someone who just plain changed America.