OBJECTIVE This lesson will allow you to gain insight into the rise of mass production techniques (especially the automobile), the impact of the new technologies, and the resulting prosperity on the American landscape.

GUIDING QUESTION

1. How were mass production techniques employed to various consumer good to improve quality, reduce cost and allow more Americans the chance to benefit from the advances?
2. How did advertising affect the choices of American consumers in the 1920’s?
3. How was installment buying responsible for allowing consumers to “buy now…pay later”?
4. How did the skyrocketing prosperity of the 1920’s serve as a warning for the economic downturn that would become the Great Depression?

DISCUSSION

Few things have changed America like the automobile.  Today it is hard to imagine a society without cars.  Yet many people in the United States saw the automobile as simply a passing fad.  When Henry Ford released his Model T in 1909 who would have imagined the changes it would usher in?  Ford did more for America than simply set it in perpetual motion.  The ripple effect of the automobile is still being felt today.

One of the new industrial changes he caused was the invention of the assembly line so that he could produce low-priced automobiles that everyone could afford.  The Henry Ford website explains this:  By 1918, half of all cars in America were Model Ts. To meet the growing demand for the Model T, the company opened a large factory at Highland Park, Michigan, in 1910. Here, Henry Ford combined precision manufacturing, standardized and interchangeable parts, a division of labor, and, in 1913, a continuous moving assembly line. Workers remained in place, adding one component to each automobile as it moved past them on the line. Delivery of parts by conveyor belt to the workers was carefully timed to keep the assembly line moving smoothly and efficiently. The introduction of the moving assembly line revolutionized automobile production by significantly reducing assembly time per vehicle, thus lowering costs. Ford's production of Model Ts made his company the largest automobile manufacturer in the world.  (http://www.hfmgv.org/exhibits/hf/default.asp) 

YOUR TASK

Part 1 – Complete the “Change-Effect” Chart

The chart below lists some of the changes needed in American society to meet the demands of the automobile.  Copy the chart into your Word document.  Predict what possible effect each change listed might have created.  The first one has been done for you.

CHANGE-EFFECT CHART

Part II – Assembly Line Principles

Henry Ford used the assembly line better than anyone had done before him.  He was the first to institute a moving conveyor belt.  This change not only affected the automobile industry but all industries in the world.  Using the Internet, find a modern production facility (other than the automobile industry) that uses assembly line principles.   In your one page write up, include:

• The name of the company that uses the assembly line principles and what they manufacture.
• How are the assembly line principles used?  How have they changed from Henry Ford’s time?
• Based on this company/industry, write an explanation of how what things in this company are similar to how they were in Ford’s time and how they are now different. 
• Finally, describe any improvements have been made to his assembly line designs.

Part III – The Impact of the Automobile

Will Rogers, the comedian, once commented to Henry Ford, “It will take a hundred years to tell us whether you have helped us or hurt us, but you certainly didn’t leave us like you found us!”

Write one page (1 ½ spaced, 12 point Times New Roman) stating your opinion on how the automobile has had both a positive or negative impact on America.

Assignment 4.02 - Mobile Society

1. In a Word document, complete the above writing assignments – which ALL NEED to be on the same word document.  Make sure you label each section!  You will have 3 pages:  Page 1 – Change-Effect Chart; Page 2 – Assembly Line Company; Page 3 – Impact of the Automobile.
2. Go to the Assignment Area and click on “View/Complete Assignment – 4.02 Mobile Society”.  Attach your Word Document and click “Submit”.
3. DB4.1 – Henry Ford = Friend or Foe.  Go to the Discussion Board and post a NEW    THREAD summarizing your opinion on how the automobile has changed American society.  Your thread should be 2-3 sentences.  Also respond to at least 1 other thread.