Summary: A Nation No Longer Behind The Wheel

In the late 1800’s and early 1900’s the automobile was considered an expensive, custom made, consumer product that only the wealthy could afford to dazzle themselves with. In fact, in 1895 there was a report of only 300 cars in the United States, but that number grew dramatically in the years to come to nearly 1.7 million by 1914 (Car History, n.d.). This increase was due in part by two major shifts in the American society; the new consumer economy and the ideas that every family in America should be able to afford an automobile. Henry Ford was a large contributor to this massive increase in the United States and would make changes to the automobile industry that

The automobile began as a rich man’s toy, and in today’s society almost every single person owns one of these miraculous inventions. After the automobile became more popular, society has evolved around it, creating highways and fast food chains. The automobile has revised from a bare invention, such as the horseless carriage, to now technologically advanced motor vehicles with bluetooth and wireless internet. Since the beginning age of the automobile in 1885, the invention has advanced, prospered, and changed society throughout the world.

Henry Ford is the man who forever changed American automobiles. Henry Ford converted the automobile from a luxury toy to a mainstream item of American society. During the beginning of the 20th century, the automobile was considered a luxury for the wealthy but Ford was determined to create an affordable and reliable car that a majority of Americans could invest in. This model that Henry Ford created was called the Model T, and it is one of the main reasons why Henry Ford is remembered as an extremely influential person in American society. Ford's ability to apply new ideas to complicated problems and create something that is convenient for the average american is the cause of his success; his assembly line, "fordism" and implementation also contributed immensely to this success.

Today in America the automobile is a big part of our everyday lives and has been for many years. The automobile represents freedom, and has been the main economy builder in America. The automobile needs to stay the central part of American lives.

Introducing the man who practically built America. Henry Ford was an automobile manufacturer who, in 1903, established the Ford Motor Company. In 1908, he created the Ford Model T car in the shed located behind his home. This car was the most popular car of all time due to its cheap prices (compared to early automobiles) and it’s constant availability (Ford Model T). Henry Ford transformed the automobile from an invention to an innovation and it continues to affect our lives today. When the Model T was introduced to the people of America, it revolutionized literature forever. The idea of an affordable car for the everyday man captured the imagination of authors and filmmakers. Throughout the 1920s, the Model T was featured in dozens of movies, television series, and books. Even today, thousands of pieces are shown to have cars originate from this American innovation.

Over the span of the last century no other invention has impacted America such as that of the automobile. During the infancy of such an invention it only had one purpose: to transport the commonwealth to and fro with much convenience to its credit. However, as the decades passed so did the shape and form of automobiles changed as well; from the simplistic design of Ford’s Model T, to the aggressive angles of muscle cars, and to the boxy retro design of the 80’s. Aside from from the evolution of appearances differing from generation to generation of automobiles, one constant feature setting one model more distinguished from another was (and still is) its performance; it is because of this, America fell in love with automobiles and created

Historically, The United State had invented the steam engine and began using automobile long before 1896 when Henry Ford build the first car. Since then, the country has undergone series of dramatic changes affecting the automobile industry politically, economically, technologically, and socio-culturally, including series of global and environmental challenges. These environmental challenges facing the industries can be acknowledged in the following areas:

Automobiles in America have been a primary source for transportation since the early day of the 20th century. Automobiles were first viewed as unreliable and dangerous. The 1920s was a decade that changed the automobile industry forever. Luxury cars, trucks, and motorcycles were popping up everywhere you looked. “Ford was the best selling cars just about everywhere and Packard was the leading luxury car seller.”(“The Emperor’s Pierce-Arrow”). People all across the United States were becoming much more interested in this type of transportation. Automobiles were quickly becoming a necessity for all people to have.

Over one billion cars have been manufactured world-wide in the past century, with nearly 700 million on the road today (Urry, 2006). As important as flight, computers, and mass communication, the automobile has been a key contributor to the growth and globalization of our world (Sheller, 2000). While the automobile is rarely the topic of sociological discussion and cultural study, this article will discuss the iconicism of the automobile and how it contributes to an individual’s identity.

The automobile has reigned supreme as the top transportational vehicle in America for over a century. It provides people with a quick and simple way to get where they are going. However, many people believe that the automobile should be dethroned. This is because the effects of cars are starting to overpower the benefits. But, automobiles are a large part of the American lifestyle. Cars were and still are a huge part of the economy, cars are the only option for many Americans, and cars are the fastest and easiest ways to reach one’s destination. For many Americans, taking away their car would be like taking their freedom along with it.

Automated Vehicles (AVs) and Advanced Driver Assisted Systems (ADAS), are becoming an increasingly promising and interesting market. Significant research is being conducted to investigate how a society dominated by driverless vehicles could work. Researchers at Michigan University have

In 1903, Henry Ford did not know he was about to revolutionize the automobile world when he opened the Ford Motor Company in the suburb of Dearborn Michigan. After opening Ford Motor Company, Henry Ford saw several ways to improve the auto industry through a series of inventions and visions. In 1903 cars were a luxury item, and only the rich and well-off were able to afford them. Henry Ford had a different vision, he saw the potential that the automobile market held, if, he could create an automobile that could be affordable to the everyday American at the time. The everyday Americans were the ones who did not have a lot of money and weren’t able to afford the “luxuries” in life, they were the American’s who were just trying to keep ends tied and food on the table for their families. (“Henry Ford Changes the World”, 2003) Envisioning a world where cars were affordable for everyone, led to the birth of Ford Motor Company’s star child; The Model T. Henry Ford did something that was unheard of in 1903, he created an automobile that was lightweight, able to be operated by anyone with ease, there was no training or special skills needed to operate the Model T, and as an added bonus it had a great fuel economy! The model T got 25 miles to a gallon, but most importantly it was reasonably priced for the everyday American at a whopping $825.00. The price and features of the Model T made Henry Ford one of the most popular men and company in the country and put Ford Motor Company on

Have you ever thought about way back when there wasn’t any cars? Think about all the things cars do for us. I am strong favor that cars should stay central in Americans lives.

Time and time again our dependency on the automobile is present. For our lives exist the way they do because of the automobile and could not exist any other way with it. “[Our] ability to participate both physically and symbolically in American cultural life depends on the car”, (Best, 2006). The automobile defines the life we live and often, “cars serve as ‘extended selves’”, (Best, 2006). Tom Vanderbilt states that since we spend so much time in our cars we are

America did not alone invent automobile, but America had been the leader in the automobile technology and manufacturing for several decades. During that time, American automobiles shared their technology and know-how with Japanese and German manufacturers. And, American companies did not pay a great attention to what Japanese and German manufacturers have learned from their American counterparts. During 1940s,