Model T celebrates 110 years of transit
October 1 is an important day in history for the auto industry and the United States. The Ford Model T was created 110 years ago offering an affordable car enabling the everyday American to own the once elusive luxury. The Model T originally cost $850 and was lowered to $300 in 1925, thanks to the assembly line. This newfound efficiency gave more Americans the ability to drive cars.
“It set the standard for how cars and other mass produced products are made,” said junior Grant Cwick.
This innovation stirred the economy, not only improving the auto industry, but all industries. Now that more Americans commute farther each day, they can live farther from cities, the centers of industry. Industry can now move out farther from cities and expand on the relatively cheap land around the city because their workers now have access to cars and can commute farther to work. The Model T also allowed Americans to afford bigger homes and land. Cities expanded, laying the seeds for the suburbia we live in today. Americans also gained more leisure time as travel time decreased, leading to the expansion of many pastimes like baseball, tennis, golf, and boxing.
“The car led to the expansion of roads and arguably, led to the best interstate road system in the world during the later half of the twentieth century,” said history teacher Mr. Cory Jensen.
A lot of things we enjoy today would not have been possible without the Model T, which greatly improved transportation for Americans. Americans now have the freedom of travel, and they can go on road trips out west or visit places they would not have been able to see and enjoy before. Destinations like the Grand Canyon or California turned from stories to a reality for the everyday American. We may take cars for granted because everybody has one, but without the invention of the Model T, most of us would not be able to go to Saint Viator or hang out with friends from other towns. This innovation in cars greatly strengthened the ties in our community and allows Viator to have a diverse community of people.
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