IntroHenry Ford was one of the greatest inventors of the 20th century. Brilliant and eccentric are the words that were used to describe him. His vision was to help create a middle class in the United States. By increasing salaries and increasing free time. His greatest inventions, the assembly line and the Model T car, each revolutionized the automobile industry. Ford Motor Company was founded by Henry Ford and today is the second largest American automobile manufacturer and the fifth largest in the world. On April 7, 1947, at the age of 83, Ford died at his home in Dearborn, MichiganPersonal InformationHenry Ford was born in Springfield Township, Michigan, on July 30, 1863. His parents were William and Mary Ford; he grew up on his parents' farm. Henry was the eldest of six children. Before he made cars, Henry Ford was known for tinkering, he would take pieces of metal and turn them into small machines. When Ford wasn't helping his father with the crops, he attended a one-room schoolhouse for eight years. At the age of 16, he left home to work in Dearborn, Michigan, at Flower Brothers Machines Shop, as a machinist's assistant. Ford was fired from his first job. Mary Ford was Henry's inspiration as a child, and his role model and later friend was Thomas Edison. In 1888, he married Clara Barynet. In 1893, Clara Barynet gave birth to Edsel Ford, Henry Ford's only child. Milestones Over the next few years, Ford learned to work and maintain steam engines. In 1883, the Edison Illuminating Company hired him and he later received the position of chief engineer. After two years of continuous work, Henry Ford made the first quadricycle that did not need to be pulled by a horse. The same year Ford met his role model, inverter Thomas Edison, he encouraged Ford to make...... middle of paper ...... in hopes of ending the war. Ford announces the expedition of the ship Peace. The plan was to sail to Europe and convince the warring nations to stop fighting. His plan failed. Ford also ran for Congress hoping to end the war, but that plane also failed. When World War II broke out in 1939, Ford fought to prevent the United States from choosing sides. Ford hated war, but after the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor, the Ford Motor Company became one of the United States' largest military contributors. The Ford Motor Company supplied planes, engines, jeeps and tanks. =229705&productName=school&al=Middle http://school.eb.com/levels/high/article/109415 http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/americanexperience/features/introduction/henryford-introduction/