Nicolas Cugot built the first self-propelled vehicle in 1769, capable of speeds up to 6 km/h. He built a faster automobile two years later which moved quickly enough to crash into a wall, causing history's first auto accident. (Birth, 1) Just as railways and steam locomotives revolutionised European society in the nineteenth century, so the automobile has come to redefine the way the world works, both economically and socially. The automobile gave whole new meanings to accessibility, time, and distance. Travel, once a luxury, became commonplace, and then a necessity to everyday life.

Little of society was untouched by the automobile's coming: cities were transformed, horses were rendered obslete for the purpose of casual travel and railroads were increasingly less important. The steel, chemical, rubber, and petroleum industries were remade to suit the needs of the automobile and industries sprang up that were completely reliant upon the automobile for their livelihood such as service stations and automobile insurance. (Daeges, 1) The advent of the automobile dramatically affected the economy of the United States, reinvented the way of life of its people, and directly led to the development of the assembly line and other methods of mass production.

Production

The U.S economy was revolutionized by the coming of the automobile. Huge industries devoted only to the automobile were created. Others were expanded from once trivial insignificance to imminent importance. Before the internal-combustion engine was implanted, gasoline was a useless waste, often thrown away. (Jewels, 2) Once the automobile became commonplace, the production of gasoline blossomed into a matter of such importance that the government took actions to secure a steady flow of oil into the United States. The steel industry was already established, but the coming of the automobile created huge amounts of business for it. The making and selling of automobiles became the most profitable industry in the U.S., an industry that took advantage of the huge demand created by automobiles.

The assembly line and other methods of mass production were developed when American businessmen began seeking ways to build more automobiles at a lower price. The idea of using many small identical parts that could be exchanged for each other was engendered by the president of the Cadillac Automobile Company, Henry M. Leland. Once other automobile makers realized the value of small identical parts that were interchangeable, they hired many small machine shops to make identical parts that were then put together at assembly plants. Because of this, broken parts could easily be sent to car owners. This greatly prolonged the life of the automobile, making it even more attractive to consumers.

Ransom E. Olds took the first step towards assembly line production when had the framework of each automobile pushed on a wooden platform supported be rolling casters. Henry Ford built on this when he used conveyor belts to pull along the bare frame of a automobile while workmen added parts to it that were brought to them by other conveyor belts. Ford's utilization of the conveyor belt in the factory was inspired by the Chicago Packing Association's disassembly line, where workers dressed beef pulled along by an overhead trolley.

In 1901 the Olds Company built 425 automobiles. The next year, using mass-production methods, they built 2,500, more than five times as many.

Transportation infrastructure

Aside from industries, one of the most visible effects the automobile had on the United States was the huge increase in the amount of roads the nation had. In 1921, the United States had only 387,000 miles of surfaced road throughout the country. Over the course of the next twenty years, the United States spent US$40 billion and over one million new miles of roads. (World, 926) As roads went to more and more places, and people had a means of transportation that wasn’t tied to a schedule. The meaning of distance changed. Fifty miles was no longer a daylong journey; with the automobile it would take only a few hours.

The quality of roads was also improved. Roads were paved with asphalt, and roads with more than one lane one each side became commonplace.

Rural society

During the 1920s and 1930s, farmers did not utilize the automobile for recreational means. They had to pay taxes to improve roads they did not use, and the noise of the engines scared the livestock. (World, 932)

Farmers gradually developed an understanding that automobiles could be useful. Automobiles broke the isolation that until then usually accompanied farm life. Automobiles made it easier for rural farmers to get to town faster and more efficiently, to shop, to go to church, to reach doctors and to reach hospitals. Children were able go to attend better schools while still having enough time to work on the farm. The automobile also kept talented and ambitious youth from leaving the farm in search of a less demanding occupation because it lightened the workload and offered them more mobility. (Flink, 37) Farmers used automobiles for many activities, from carrying goods from the barn to town, to taking the family to see relatives. The automobile even improved the speed that they received their mail.

City society

Because of the automobile, cities grew and suburbs appeared for the first time. Until the advent of the automobile, factory workers were forced to live close to the factory or a railroad junction that led to the factory. The automobile allowed them to live miles away from the stench and grime of the factories and the city, yet still work at a factory. The developing suburbs created few local jobs, forcing residence to commute elsewhere to their jobs. (Flink, 33)

Shopping centers were then built in or near suburbs to save residents trips to the city. The shopping centers provided enough goods and services to reduce the need of suburban residents to visit the city.

But as the suburbs grew, so did the cities. In fact, the automobile provided the means for even higher population density because the automobile allowed farmers to transport their produce much more quickly and efficiently to the cities, making them able to feed more people. (World, 932) By 1940, nearly three quarters of all poultry and eggs and a quarter of all fruits and vegetable were brought to market by automobile.

The automobile completely replaced any other means of transportation in both efficiency and usefulness. Up until the automobile, horses were the major means of transportation within cities. Horses require a large amount of care, and were therefore kept in public facilities that were usually far from residences. They also created a sanitary problem with the manure they left on the ground. (Flink, 31) The automobile had none of those disadvantages (although it did pollute the air). It required little daily care, left no mess in the street, and could be kept at homes. The automobile quickly replaced the horse in urban environments as the preferred means of transportation.

Safer communities

Fire trucks were made that could quickly respond to an emergency fire, saving many lives and preventing fires from spreading. The strength of the engines allowed the transport of more equipment (such as hosees) and better fire fighting technologies.

Ambulances were another modification to the automobile that allowed victims of injuries to receive care on their way to the hospital.

The police were among the first to utilize the automobile. The new technology allowed them to get to crime scenes faster, preventing crimes from occurring or proceeding, and greatly reducing the ability of people to tamper with evidence. (Automobile, 727)

Recreation

The creation of good roads and dependable automobiles changed the ideas of U.S. citizens recreation and vacations. Before the automobile, resorts were predominantly found near the coast or a railroad. If people did not live near either one, then they were unlikely to be able to visit one. Once the automobile became abundant, resorts sprang up that were off the beaten path. (Automobile, 727) Resorts sprang up in scenic places, far away from the hectic life of the cities. National Parks became popular tourist attractions and developed designs with automobile travelers in mind. (Flink, 42)

Women

Until Charles F. Kettering's invention of the electric self-starter, women did not drive nearly as often as men. Until that point, in order to start the engine, the driver would have had to crank a shaft sticking out of the front of the automobile rapidly. This task was sometimes dangerous and was often very difficult for women. The self-starter ignited the engine with an electric spark, removing the necessary cranking. Women then drove more often, and as a result a heretofore-inaccessible market was opened to the automobile industry. (Automobile, 732) With the coming of the self-starting automobile, women were able to leave home. Instead of sewing their own clothes for their family, women were able to go to stores and buy them. (Jewels, 4)

Injury and loss of life

Automobile accidents caused many deaths before the United States Government passed automobile safety laws.

Courtship

The automobile also affected courting and dating in the United States. The automobile became a sign of social status and standing among young people. The idea that men should pick up girls for a dance in an automobile was created because of the popularity of the automobile. The automobile also gave young people mobility and freedom. They no longer had to be under the eyes of their parents. (Jewels, 5)

Sources

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  • Flink, James J. The Car Culture. Cambridge: MIT Press, 1987. WWPHSS, 388.3, FLI.
  • Norman, Bruce. The Inventing of America. New York: Toplinger Publishing Company, 1976. WWPHSS, 609.73, NOR.
  • Perkins, Barbara, and Perkins, George. The American Tradition in Literature. New York: McGraw Hill, 1994.
  • Stanley, Gregory. The Roarin’ Twenties- A Look Back. Chicago: Green Ridge, 1983.
  • Wilkinson, Philip. Encyclopedia of Ideas that Changed the World. New York: Penguin Group, 1993. WWPHSS, 608, ENC.
  • Winkler, Brian. The Turn of the Century. Boston: Grolge Press, 1996.