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Henry Ford 1x113

His car transformed the lives of millions, and re-drew the grid of the United States and much of the world. His assembly line transformed the character of modern industry, and his Five Dollar Day laid the foundation for American prosperity in the twentieth century, planting the seeds for the middle class. A bundle of contradictions, Ford was at once forward and backward looking, innovative and close-minded, generous and mean-spirited. The same man who helped to liberate millions from social isolation with his Model T also trapped thousands of workers in a workplace prison where they were forbidden to sit or talk. The same Ford who welcomed African Americans and disabled people into his factories was a bigot who broadcast to the world his vitriolic hatred of Jews and exhibited devastating cruelty to his own son. This biography draws upon a rich archival record and recent scholarship, to provide a revealing portrait of a complex, pivotal and ultimately flawed figure.