Henry Ford

Born with a passion, and revolutionizing the modern world with it, came Henry Ford. Through the invention of automobiles and the modern assembly line, he changed the world and became a hero in the process. Being born on July 30, 1863, Henry Ford was born with a passion for engineering. He started working at a young age for engineering companies, and with this experience, he honed his skills in the process. Throughout his life, he moved from company to company, the first major one being Edison's Illumination company, in which he worked on his own projects in his spare time, and eventually revolutionizing the automobile in the process. He eventually gains the attention of investors, and his company started growing bigger and bigger as well as his influence” (Carlson & Bonk). Throughout his life, his commitment and influence were shown to be that of a hero. Henry Ford is more than just the inventor of automobiles. With his commitment, as well as his influence, he left a massive impact on the world, changing it for the better, and ultimately giving him the title of hero.

Henry Ford’s success and inspiration as a hero came due to his commitment as an engineer and his passion. Growing up with this passion for engineering eventually led him on the path to create and innovate, this being automobiles. During one of his first tests with a prototype, the invention broke down as he was humiliated and put down for his work: “In June 1896, Ford took a historic ride in his first automobile that was observed by many curious Detroit on-lookers. The Quadricycle broke down in a humiliating scene” (Carlson & Bonk). In the quote, it explains how Henry Ford, when testing one of his first prototypes, failed and broke down. His commitment is seen after this humiliating event when he continues to build and create better automobiles. As he continues, he soon builds an empire and becomes famous for his work. His commitment is the reason for his success and inspiration as a hero. Another example of Henry Ford’s commitment is when his father finds out about his career choice as an engineer. Angry and disappointed, he offers Ford forty acres of farmland in hopes he would quit: “Ford’s father was not happy with his young son's career choice and offered him 40 acres of timberland adjacent to the family farm. Ford accepted his father's offer, but also built a top-rated machinist workshop on his new farm, much to his father's displeasure” (Dow & Noce).  When Ford’s father became put off by his career choice, his father offers forty acres to become a farmer, but in the end, he uses those forty acres for his own workshop. His commitment shown through his actions after being offered forty acres is that of a committed hero, fighting for his passion as well as for innovation. Even though he got offered plenty to quit, he stays committed to his passion as an engineer. Through Ford’s actions, it can be seen that his heroism is due to his commitment to his passion.

Another example of heroism can be linked to his influence on the modern world. As Henry Ford grew more famous for his innovations, so did his interest from investors. With the help of William Murphy and Alex Y. Malcomson, his business and ideas came to life, and as he created tools for his company, his impact grew: “The assembly line was undoubtedly Ford's greatest contribution to industry. It revolutionized manufacturing and made it possible to make uniform products quickly and affordably” (Carlson & Bonk). Henry Ford’s influence on the assembly line was revolutionary to manufacturing. Because of his influence on the assembly line, us modern day people are able to live the life with fewer stresses of the older days. Being able to uniform products quickly and affordably means that people can live easier, creating the modern society we know to this day. Even though the tools created by Ford was a massive impact on modern society, it wasn’t the only one. With the tools acquired from his assembly lines, Ford started manufacturing new and better automobiles for cheaper: “His production of the Model T automobile on an assembly line brought the low-priced automobile within reach of many middle-class Americans” (Dow & Noce).  With the creation of the Model T came the dispersion of automobiles to people worldwide. Because of this, the middle class could now afford the automobiles, further pushing the stressful and hard lifestyle we don’t have in the modern world. Because of Henry Ford’s influence, we can now live the easy and non-stressful lifestyle we have in the modern world.

Henry Ford’s commitment, as well as his influence on the modern world we know today, truly gives him the title of a hero. His commitment for his passion and for innovation can be shown through many roadblocks within his life. As he got through them, his influence on the world grew, this being better and easier lives, as well as creating the modern society we now know to this day. Henry Ford, even though an engineer, is inspiring to myself and others around the world. His work helped create the modern utopia we live in today, as well as the lifestyle that we know. His commitment as an engineer and his work is inspiring. Henry Ford isn’t just the person who created the automobiles, he is the man who became a hero from his commitment and massive influence he had on the world we know.

Work Consulted

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"Henry Ford." Gale Encyclopedia of U.S. Economic History, edited by Thomas Carson and Mary Bonk, Gale, 1999. Biography In Context, https://link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/K1667000059/BIC?u=powa9245&sid=BIC&xid=55c6c75f. Accessed 15 Jan. 2019.

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