Henry Ford

Henry Ford was a fearless visionary and one of the greatest heroes in the history of the United States! As one of America's greatest and most influential businessmen and philanthropists, Ford once said "[m]any people are busy trying to find better ways of doing things that should not have to be done at all. There is no progress in merely finding a better way to do a useless thing." (Ford News) Born in Dearborn, Michigan in 1863, Ford grew up on the farm where he was born. While growing up, Ford always had an interest in machinery, but it was the sight of a coal-fired steam engine in 1876 that inspired him to learn more about machinery. At the age of 16, he left the family farm for Detroit where he got a job working in a machinery shop ("Bob Batchelor"). As a result of his experience and knowledge gained from working in the machinery shop, Ford founded the Ford Motor Company in 1903 to build automobiles with the financial support from wealthy investors. His brilliant vision for the future led to mass production of affordable automobiles that were made available to the general population, and thus dramatically improved their lives. Ford made half a billion dollars over the years as a result, but unlike other business leaders at the time, he shared his great fortune with those less fortunate. Ford not only felt empathy for the poor, he did something about it! During the Great Depression, he poured his own money into the economy to help jumpstart it. For people who worked for him, Ford introduced a daily minimum wage and maximum daily work hour policy to help them financially as well as to ensure their health and safety. Henry Ford's vision for the future of automobile, his generosity towards his fellow men, and his willingness to act on his altruistic vision resulted in profound impact on people's lives and established him as one of the greatest heroes in the history of the United States.

Ford demonstrated heroism in life through his vision for the future of automobile and his enthusiasm in transforming that vision into reality. His love for machinery combined with his dedication to helping society was pivotal in transforming the world during the late 1800s and early 1900s into a faster, safer, and more efficient technologically world. Society today still feels the positive impact of his vision reverberated through the years. When Ford first founded the Ford Motor Company, it manufactured eight different automobile models while producing 100 cars a day to meet the demand of the affluent population. Ford soon realized great potential in his company and bought out many of his original investors making him the majority stock owner at 58%. Ford then sought to make automobile affordable to the general population by reducing production from eight down to a single automobile type, the Model-T. In one of his statements, Ford proclaimed that "I will build a motor car for the great multitude." The way to make them affordable, he said, was "to make them all alike, to make them come through the factory just alike." ("Bob Batchelor") As a result, the automobile made its way into the lives of the middle class. With the invention of the affordable automobile, Ford's vision resulted in a bigger and more prominent community for everyone to live in. According to the Times, Ford's "vision would help create a middle class in the U.S., one marked by urbanization, rising wages and some free time in which to spend them" (Time). However, Ford never became complacent and refused to stop at the peak of his work. Instead, he continued to search for new social classes where he could introduce new and improved affordable cars. One car in particular, the Universal Car, that Ford introduced to the public and believed would make a significant impact on the people daily lives. As indicated in Ford news, "[w]e have had just one main purpose during these years, and that is to give the people transportation of the most dependable quality at the lowest possible cost. Our car was called the 'Universal Car' thirty years ago, because it fulfilled so many needs; it is "The Universal Car" today for the same reason." (Ford News) By dedicating his life to making cars universally affordable, Ford made the automobile available to everyone, rich and poor alike, and completely transformed their lives for the better. By making its way into the lives of everyone, the automobile became a household product in making life simpler and more convenient. The ability to travel farther, faster, and more reliable in these automobiles allowed people to visit love ones with more convenient and businesses to transfer goods much more expediently. The impact the automobile had on personal convenient and free trade is thus limitless. In effect, Henry Ford's vision and dedication to the automobile industry completely improved all aspects of people's lives. Although Ford's heroism may not display itself in physical forms or sacrifices, it is felt in people's daily lives.

Ford also demonstrated heroism in life through his charitable actions. Ford was a very wealthy man, but instead of hoarding his money for himself, he used his wealth to help others less fortunate. His impoverish upbringing helped him connect with the poor and empathized with their needs. According to Ford, "If I merely want money the present system is all right; it gives money in plenty to me. But I am thinking of service. The present system does not permit of the best service because it encourages every kind of waste--it keeps many men from getting the full return from service. And it is going nowhere. It is all a matter of better planning and adjustment." (Ford, Henry). Ford never had the intention to become a wealthy businessman, he simply followed his passion and his love for machinery. Money, therefore, was never his priority and thus explains why he often sacrificed a portion of his wages to help impoverish areas suffering from the failed economy. As an example, in 1913, he stepped in to help Detroit when he heard that the city was unable to sell enough bonds to help jumpstart the economy. Ford used his own money and purchased "$1 million worth of the bonds" (Watts, Steven) while at the same time he " launched a project to help poor, wayward youth in Detroit. He ensconced several dozen of them at Valley Farm, on his Dearborn property, where they were fed and clothed, taught in the local school, and put to work at agricultural labor under adult supervision." (Watts, Steven) He made half a billion dollars in his life time and used his wealth to help the people during the Great Depression. In effect, heroism takes on many different shapes and forms, and in Henry Ford's case, heroics are encapsulated in his altruism towards his fellow human beings.

In addition to the heroic demonstrated by Ford through his generosity, he added further heroics by helping to improve the quality of people's lives by driving the minimum wage and health safety system. Ford's generosity to his workers drove up the minimum wage and improved working environment in a times when few government enacted laws, if any, existed to ensure the safety and equitable wages for the employees. As indicated by Iacocca, " Henry Ford shocked the world with what probably stands as his greatest contribution ever: the $5-a-day minimum-wage scheme. The average wage in the auto industry then was $2.34 for a 9-hr. shift. Ford not only doubled that, he also shaved an hour off the workday" (Iacocca, Lee). Ford's minimum wage and working hour system is a precursor to the modern day minimum wages and 8-hour working day system enacted by the Federal government. Ford recognized early on the needs to properly compensate his employees with appropriate wages while taking into account their health and safety by reducing the required daily working hours. More importantly, never once did Ford regret making the minimum wage or the working hours decision as he always thought paying his workers less would be not beneficial them. According to Ford News, "No one loses anything by raising wages as soon as he is able. It has always paid us. Low wages are the most costly any employer can pay. It is like using low-grade material--the waste makes it very expensive in the end. There is no economy in cheap labor or cheap material. The hardest thing I ever had to do was to reduce wages. I think we were the last big company to come to it. Now I am mighty glad that wages are climbing again." (Ford News) Henry Ford thus epitomized the term altruism. In a world and a time where wealthy businessmen often thrive on the sweat of the poor working class, Ford stood out as the protector, a role in which the Federal government realized, with the eventual enactment of the minimum wage and 8-hour day law, was sorely needed to help protect the working class. By improving the working conditions of his workers, Ford therefore established himself as a protector and hero of the poor working class.

Effectively, Henry Ford, the founder of Ford Motor Company and inventor of the famous Model-T, established his legacy within the history books as one of America's greatest heroes. Ford used his intellect and vision to bring affordable automobiles to people of all social classes, and as a result, improved the lives of everyone. The wealth that he garnered from Ford Motor Company, he used to pour back into the economy during the Great Depression in order to help jumpstart a recovery. Furthermore, Ford set himself up as the protector of the working class by introducing a daily minimum wage and maximum working hour policy designed to help the workers financially as well as to maintain healthy working conditions. In the words of Henry Ford, an American hero, "[w]hatever your goal in life, the beginning is knowledge and experience- or, briefly work." (Henry Ford) The effects of Ford's brilliant vision and altruism continue today, over sixty-five years after his death. Ford's imprint marks each vehicle driving on the road, every nine-to-five job, and every paycheck taken home.