The Invention of the Automobile

The Automobile Comes to America
By 1900, Europeans had been making cars for fifty years
Americans began to produce cars in the 1890’s
The first car that was produced on a large scale was the Oldsmobile
In 1901, Oldsmobile sold 425 cars
In 1905, they sold over 5,000

Henry Ford and The Assembly Line
In the early 1900’s, the automobile cost thousands of dollars, and only the rich could afford it
Henry Ford invented the assembly line method of producing cars
The assembly line had two important effects:
1. It reduced the price of the car to $600 in 1908
2. Factory workers were paid $5 a day, enough to save and buy their own car
The Ford Assembly Plant, Highland Park, Michigan

A Car for the Masses
Henry Ford introduced the Model T for $800
Millions of these cars sold by 1920

Life Changes in America
Before the automobile, a horse-drawn carriage could only travel up to 10 miles a day
The automobile allowed people to travel much farther, so they could go to nearby towns and cities to buy supplies they needed
People could go to regional hospitals and attend schools in town by travel in a car or a bus
People no longer needed to live near railroad lines, so small towns grew larger

Highways
With cars came the need for paved roads and highways
States started to charge a fuel tax in order to pay for the new roads
The Road Aid Act was passed by Congress in 1916 to build Highways 1, 40, and 66—all roads that would eventually cross America
Federal Highway Plan for North Carolina in 1918
(from NC Maps)

New Jobs for Americans
People began to commute to the cities for jobs rather than having to find work at home
Having automobiles increased the demand for other new employment, such as:
Fast food
Police/highway patrol
Auto repair shops
Gas stations and convenience stores

A New Travel Age
By the 1920’s, President Roosevelt was encouraging Americans to get out and see their country
The automobile allowed people to travel easier and farther than with horses
Vacationing and camping became a renewed trend

Autocamping
People even used their cars to camp in

Of course, the automobile didn’t fix every problem!