Final answer:
Henry Ford revolutionized manufacturing in the United States by perfecting the assembly line, leading to the mass production of affordable automobiles. His policies of higher wages and shorter workdays attracted a diverse workforce and fostered tremendous growth in the auto industry.
Step-by-step explanation:
Henry Ford and the Revolution of American Manufacturing
Henry Ford significantly advanced the mass production of automobiles, transforming American manufacturing through the perfection of the assembly line. By utilizing moving conveyor belts and fixed workstations, he minimized the movement of workers and the time required to assemble each part, focusing each worker on a single task. This innovation meant that automobiles, once luxury items, became affordable to the American middle class. Ford's Model T price dropped from $850 in 1908 to $300 in 1924, offering car ownership to a much broader demographic.
Despite the monotonous and repetitive nature of assembly line work leading to a high turnover rate, Ford introduced better wages, at five dollars a day, along with an eight-hour workday. Such policies attracted a massive labor force to Detroit, including many African Americans from the South, leading to a significant demographic shift and the proliferation of the auto industry.
In Ford's River Rouge factory, an exemplar of vertical integration, raw materials entered one side of the facility and finished automobiles exited the other. This demonstrated Ford's efficiency in manufacturing, further revolutionizing how goods were produced. However, with time, shifts in manufacturing strategies led to the factory's closure in 2004, revealing the constant evolution of industrial practices.