you could always write a term paper on JFK. last semester (im in college) i wrote an 8 page paper (i think) on JFK and only made a dent on the conspiracy of his assassination. there is amazing proof of conspiracy and also that there was no conspiracy. it was a fun paper to write. i got an A and the professer was impressed. if you are interested, get ahold of me and i can give you some sources and ideas. chrishager24@hotmail.com

 

Henry Ford could be one of the most significant figures in American history- at least after 1900, but not for all the obvious reasons. Some bullet points:

1. While everyone else thought the automobile was a conveyance for the wealthy, HF had other ideas- which resulted in his split from the first car company with his name on the door. His idea of a car for "everyman" was a novel idea at the time.

2. Ford instituted mass production, but what he really believed in was mass consumption. He pioneered the idea that paying a factory worker a decent living wage would increase wages (and potential buyers) in other industries. He turned out to be quite correct.

3. Ford invented the dealer-franchise system for selling a product. He was smart enough to know that even a product that could be marketed world-wide had to be sold locally.

4. Ford understood the need of infrastructure to support his product. Roads (and later the interstate system), gas stations, etc were pushed and developed heavily by Ford.

5. Ford's vision helped create the middle class- with excess wages to spend, and the time to enjoy the extra money. When Ford left the farm at age 16, 2 out of 8 workers lived in a city. By the time WWII came around, the figure had doubled. By 1927, Ford had produced half of all the worlds automobiles (what the heck happened to that market share?).

And his inspiration? His good friend Tom Edison.