Fordism

• Mass Production/The Assembly line.
• A social contract between capital and labor.

The American System: Interchangeability.

John Hall's Breech-loading rifle

Highwheel bicycle

"Safety" bicycle with pneumatic tires and chain, c. 1892

Pre-1910: automobiles are playthings.

the man who can successfully solve this knotty question and produce a car that will be entirely sufficient mechanically, and whose price will be within the reach of millions who cannot yet afford automobiles, will not only grow rich but will be considered a public benefactor.

Harper's 1910

Highland Park, 1910

The man who places a part does not fasten it --the part may not be fully in place until after several operations later. The man who puts in a bolt does not put on the nut; the man who puts on the nut does not tighten it.

--Ford, 1923, on the assembly line.

The IWW

Triangle Shirtwaist

Ida Tarbell

Upton Sinclair, The Jungle.