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Popular Research Topics

Ford Motor Company Sociological Department & English School

With the success of the Ford Model T after its introduction in 1908, Ford Motor Company became the leading manufacturer of automobiles in the world. By 1914, the integration of the progressive assembly line made high-volume and efficient production at Ford Motor Company plants an exemplary model for mass production. Ford’s demand for cheap labor and the lure of high wages—with the $5 day profit sharing plan—drew thousands of immigrants and migrants to Detroit.

In order to manage and control such a large and diverse workforce, John R. Lee, Head of Personnel, created the Sociological Department in 1914. The Sociological Department established a system of rules and codes of behavior for Ford employees that they had to meet, in order to qualify for the $5 day pay rate. The Sociological Department monitored employees at home, as well as on the job. Investigators made unannounced visits to employees' homes and evaluated the cleanliness of the home, noted if the family had renters, checked with school attendance offices to determine if children were attending school and monitored bank records to verify that employees made regular deposits. Sociological Department investigators also assisted workers' families by teaching wives about home care, cooking and hygiene.

English School

An adjunct to the Sociological Department was the Ford English School. Originally established in 1913, the Ford English School addressed the problem of communicating with non-English speaking workers who didn’t share a common language, and the potential threats to safety that this posed.

Ford English School

At a time when worker safety was rarely considered in most factories, Ford Motor Company officials took great pains to ensure that the factory was as safe as possible. English classes taught by Ford employees were offered free of charge to foreign employees; however, students were required to attend classes before or after their work shifts. Students were taught by mimicking instructors who held up objects such as tea kettles and soap, repeating the words of the instructor. This simple vocabulary would form the foundation for more complex sentences so that by the end of the course students attained basic English reading and speaking comprehension skills.

Ford English School Diploma

Ford’s English program was so successful that other companies and social organizations patterned their programs after it. A Ford English School diploma was considered so valuable that an immigrant seeking naturalization could use it to meet many of the requirements needed before taking the final citizenship exam.

The culmination of the Ford English School program was the graduation ceremony where students were transformed into Americans. During the ceremony speakers gave rousing patriotic speeches and factory bands played marches and patriotic songs. The highlight of the event would be the transformation of immigrants into Americans. Students dressed in costumes reminiscent of their native homes stepped into a massive stage-prop cauldron that had a banner across the front identifying it as the AMERICAN MELTING POT. Seconds later, after a quick change out of sight of the audience, students emerged wearing “American” suits and hats, waving American flags, having undergone a spiritual smelting process where the impurities of foreignness were burnt off as slag to be tossed away leaving a new 100% American.

Bibliography

  • Archives (Ford Motor Company), Oral History subgroup, 1951-1961, Accession 65.
  • Archives (Ford Motor Company), Photographic vertical file, 1890-1980, Accession 1660.
  • Archives (Ford Motor Company), Owen Bombard information files chronological histories, 1863-1958, Accession 902.
  • Archives Vertical File.
  • Edsel B. Ford Office papers, 1903-1945, Accession 6.
  • Ford Motor Company Auditing Department, Income tax records. 1906-1923, Accession 259.
  • Ford Motor Company Auditing Department, Wendell Miller records, 1923-1947, Accession 391.
  • Ford Motor Company Finance Division Vice President of Finance records, Accession 459.
  • Ford Motor Company Non-Serial Imprints collection, 1903-2004, Accession 951.
  • Ford Motor Company Office of Public releases Press releases, 1942-1955, Accession 536.
  • Ford Motor Company Public Relations, William John Cameron records, Accession 44 and 474.
  • Ford Motor Company Sociological Department procedure manuals, ca. 1933, 1946, Accession 280.
  • Ford Motor Company Sociological Department Profit-Sharing Plan reports, 1915, Accession 1018.
  • Ford Motor Company Superintendent's Office Charles E. Sorensen records, 1913-1946, Accession 38.
  • Ford Times (publication).
  • Frank Ernest Hill research papers, 1950-1966, Accession 940.
  • Henry Ford Office records, Engineering Laboratory records, 1921-1952, Accession 285.
  • Henry Ford Office records, Non-Automotive Interests, 1916-1931, Accession 62.
  • John F. Dodge Estate Trust Lawsuit collection, 1902-1928, Accession 96.
  • Nevins and Hill research, original documents and notes, 1845-1960, Accession 572.
  • Samuel Simpson Marquis papers, Accession 63 and 293.
  • Stanley Leonard Knazak papers, Accession 1200.

Additional information on the Ford English School may be found in the following archival collections:

  • Archives (Ford Motor Company), Oral History subgroup, 1951-1961, Accession 65.
  • Archives (Ford Motor Company), Photographic vertical file, 1890-1980, Accession 1660.
  • Archives Vertical File.
  • Cliff Colling papers, 1917, Accession 1544.
  • Five Dollar Day collection, 1909-1919, Accession 683.
  • Ford Motor Company non-serial imprints collection, 1903-2004, Accession 951.
  • Ford Times (publication), n/a.
  • Henry Ford and Ford Family papers, Fair Lane papers, 1835-1955, Accession 1.
  • Henry Ford Office records, Personal topics subject files, General personal records, 1823-1984, Accession 23.
  • Nevins and Hill research, original documents and notes, 1845-1960, Accession 572.

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Artifacts Related to Sociological Department & English School

Ford English School Classroom at the Highland Park Plant, 1914-1915
Ford English School Classroom at the Highland Park Plant, 1914-1915 (back)

Ford English School Classroom at the Highland Park Plant, 1914-1915

The Henry Ford   Details

Ford English School Classroom at the Highland Park Plant, 1914-1915

View in our Collectionson thehenryford.org 

Artifact

Photographic print

Summary

Founded in 1914 to address the language needs for Ford's ever-expanding immigrant labor force, the Ford English School used this method of language training to quickly give students a basic and functional vocabulary of English words to help them integrate into American society. In addition to English, the school also taught students, many attending classes before or after their regular shifts, the requirements needed to pass citizenship tests including American geography as seen on the blackboard in the background.

Creators

Ford Motor Company. Photographic Department 

Place of Creation

United States, Michigan, Dearborn 

Keywords

United States, Michigan, Highland Park 

Photographs 

Photographic prints 

Adult education 

Assimilation (Sociology) 

Classrooms 

Employees 

Immigrants 

Schools 

Students 

Five Dollar Day 

Ford English School 

Ford Motor Company. Highland Park Plant 

Ford Motor Company. Sociological Department 

Object ID

84.1.1660.P.833.979

Credit

From the Collections of The Henry Ford. Gift of Ford Motor Company.

Location

By Request in the Benson Ford Research Center

Get more details in Digital Collections at:

thehenryford.org

Ford English School Classroom at the Highland Park Plant, 1914-1915

View in our Collectionson thehenryford.org 

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Checking on Ford Employees Home Conditions, Views from "Factory Facts From Ford," 1917
Checking on Ford Employees Home Conditions, Views from "Factory Facts From Ford," 1917 (back)

Checking on Ford Employees Home Conditions, Views from "Factory Facts From Ford," 1917

The Henry Ford   Details

Checking on Ford Employees Home Conditions, Views from "Factory Facts From Ford," 1917

View in our Collectionson thehenryford.org 

Artifact

Photographic print

Summary

Beyond revolutionizing America's industrial production, Henry Ford and other managers at Ford Motor Company instituted a wide-reaching corporate welfare program that opened up the most intimate and personal details of employee's personal, family, and financial life to investigators from the Sociological Department. After the announcement of the $5 per day profit sharing plan in January 1914, Henry Ford wanted to ensure that employees, many of whom were non-English speaking immigrants, did not squander the funds. To this end, the Ford Sociological Department was created to investigate and monitor the personal and work lives of employees to the extent that investigators (later called Advisors) conducted home visits, checked bank deposits, and monitored children's school attendance as well as divorce filings. In addition, the Sociological Department advisors provided hygiene instruction, financial and legal advice, and worked with the English School to teach Ford's immigrant workers English.

Creators

Unknown 

Keywords

Photographic prints 

Photographs 

Publications (Documents) 

Employees 

Houses 

Industrial relations 

Five Dollar Day 

Ford Motor Company. Educational Department 

Ford Motor Company. Sociological Department 

Object ID

84.1.1660.P.O.5100

Credit

From the Collections of The Henry Ford. Gift of Ford Motor Company.

Location

By Request in the Benson Ford Research Center

Get more details in Digital Collections at:

thehenryford.org

Checking on Ford Employees Home Conditions, Views from "Factory Facts From Ford," 1917

View in our Collectionson thehenryford.org 

What is The Henry Ford?

The national attraction for discovering your ingenuity while exploring America’s spirit of innovation. There is always much to see and do at The Henry Ford.

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Details
Corporate Publication, "Facts from Ford," September 1920
Corporate Publication, "Facts from Ford," September 1920 (page 56)
Corporate Publication, "Facts from Ford," September 1920 (page 58)
Corporate Publication, "Facts from Ford," September 1920 (page 60)
Corporate Publication, "Facts from Ford," September 1920 (page 60, detail)

Corporate Publication, "Facts from Ford," September 1920

The Henry Ford   Details

Corporate Publication, "Facts from Ford," September 1920

View in our Collectionson thehenryford.org 

Artifact

Publication (Document)

Date Made

September 1920

Summary

Facts from Ford, published by Ford Motor Company's Sociological Department, kept Ford employees informed about their place of employment. This 1920 issue highlighted the ethnic diversity found at the Highland Park plant and included photographs of 60 workers, all with different nationalities. Ford tried to keep the number of foreign-born employees proportional to Detroit's foreign population.

Creators

Ford Motor Company 

Keywords

United States, Michigan, Detroit 

Pamphlets 

Publications (Documents) 

Automobile industry 

Employees 

Ford Motor Company. Sociological Department 

Object ID

64.167.38.2

Credit

From the Collections of The Henry Ford. Gift of Ford Motor Company.

Location

By Request in the Benson Ford Research Center

Get more details in Digital Collections at:

thehenryford.org

Corporate Publication, "Facts from Ford," September 1920

View in our Collectionson thehenryford.org 

What is The Henry Ford?

The national attraction for discovering your ingenuity while exploring America’s spirit of innovation. There is always much to see and do at The Henry Ford.

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Details
Document Noting Living Conditions of Ford Motor Company Employees, According to Nationality, as of January 12th, 1917

Document Noting Living Conditions of Ford Motor Company Employees, According to Nationality, as of January 12th, 1917

The Henry Ford   Details

Document Noting Living Conditions of Ford Motor Company Employees, According to Nationality, as of January 12th, 1917

View in our Collectionson thehenryford.org 

Artifact

Document

Date Made

12 January 1917

Summary

Ford Motor Company's Sociological Department, established in 1914, sent investigators to make unannounced visits to evaluate the cleanliness and safety of an employee's household. Investigators that entered workers' homes took notes, filled out forms, and compiled statistics based on their findings. This document organized living conditions by employee nationality and gave ratings of "Good," "Fair" and "Poor" conditions.

Creators

Ford Motor Company. Educational Department 

Keywords

Administrative records 

Documents 

Records (Documents) 

Automobile industry 

Employees 

Ethnic groups 

Immigrants 

Statistics 

Ford Motor Company. Educational Department 

Ford Motor Company. Sociological Department 

Object ID

64.167.572.3

Credit

From the Collections of The Henry Ford. Gift of Ford Motor Company.

Location

By Request in the Benson Ford Research Center

Get more details in Digital Collections at:

thehenryford.org

Document Noting Living Conditions of Ford Motor Company Employees, According to Nationality, as of January 12th, 1917

View in our Collectionson thehenryford.org 

What is The Henry Ford?

The national attraction for discovering your ingenuity while exploring America’s spirit of innovation. There is always much to see and do at The Henry Ford.

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Details
Ford English School at the Highland Park Plant, 1914-1915
Ford English School at the Highland Park Plant, 1914-1915 (back)

Ford English School at the Highland Park Plant, 1914-1915

The Henry Ford   Details

Ford English School at the Highland Park Plant, 1914-1915

View in our Collectionson thehenryford.org 

Artifact

Photographic print

Summary

Founded in 1914, the Ford English School taught foreign-born Ford Motor Company employees to read, write and speak English. The instructors were foremen, clerks and workmen from Highland Park Plant who volunteered their time to teach their co-workers. The school began with 20 students and one instructor and grew to more than 2,200 students and nearly 150 instructors by 1916.

Creators

Unknown 

Keywords

United States, Michigan, Highland Park 

Photographs 

Photographic prints 

Assimilation (Sociology) 

Employees 

Immigrants 

Schools 

Adult education 

Five Dollar Day 

Ford English School 

Ford Motor Company. Highland Park Plant 

Ford Motor Company. Sociological Department 

Object ID

84.1.1660.P.O.1264

Credit

From the Collections of The Henry Ford. Gift of Ford Motor Company.

Location

By Request in the Benson Ford Research Center

Get more details in Digital Collections at:

thehenryford.org

Ford English School at the Highland Park Plant, 1914-1915

View in our Collectionson thehenryford.org 

What is The Henry Ford?

The national attraction for discovering your ingenuity while exploring America’s spirit of innovation. There is always much to see and do at The Henry Ford.

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Details
Melting Pot Ceremony at Ford English School, July 4, 1917
Melting Pot Ceremony at Ford English School, July 4, 1917 (back)

Melting Pot Ceremony at Ford English School, July 4, 1917

The Henry Ford   Details

Melting Pot Ceremony at Ford English School, July 4, 1917

View in our Collectionson thehenryford.org 

Artifact

Photographic print

Summary

In 1914 Ford Motor Company established the Ford English School, where the automaker's diverse immigrant employees could learn the English language and take civics lessons in preparation for becoming U.S. citizens. At the graduation ceremony, students wearing clothing from their native countries descended into a large "American Melting Pot" and emerged wearing homogenous suits and waving American flags.

Creators

Unknown 

Keywords

United States, Michigan, Highland Park 

Photographs 

Photographic prints 

Adult education 

Assimilation (Sociology) 

Employees 

Graduation ceremonies 

Immigrants 

Five Dollar Day 

Ford English School 

Ford Motor Company. Highland Park Plant 

Ford Motor Company. Sociological Department 

Object ID

84.1.1660.P.O.7227

Credit

From the Collections of The Henry Ford. Gift of Ford Motor Company.

Location

By Request in the Benson Ford Research Center

Get more details in Digital Collections at:

thehenryford.org

Melting Pot Ceremony at Ford English School, July 4, 1917

View in our Collectionson thehenryford.org 

What is The Henry Ford?

The national attraction for discovering your ingenuity while exploring America’s spirit of innovation. There is always much to see and do at The Henry Ford.

VIEW CALENDAR

 
  • Tweet
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  • Embed

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Details
Undesirable Home Surroundings Found on First Investigation, Ford Sociological Department, 1914-1915
Undesirable Home Surroundings Found on First Investigation, Ford Sociological Department, 1914-1915 (back)

Undesirable Home Surroundings Found on First Investigation, Ford Sociological Department, 1914-1915

The Henry Ford   Details

Undesirable Home Surroundings Found on First Investigation, Ford Sociological Department, 1914-1915

View in our Collectionson thehenryford.org 

Artifact

Photographic print

Summary

Ford Motor Company established its Sociological Department in 1914. The department established rules and conditions that Ford employees had to meet to qualify for the company's Five Dollar Day pay rate. Department officials monitored employees both at work and at home. This photograph documented what the department considered to be undesirable living conditions at an employee's house.

Creators

Unknown 

Keywords

United States, Michigan, Inkster 

Photographs 

Photographic prints 

Automobile industry 

Employees 

Houses 

Industrial relations 

Ford Motor Company. Sociological Department 

Object ID

84.1.1660.P.O.4546

Credit

From the Collections of The Henry Ford. Gift of Ford Motor Company.

Location

By Request in the Benson Ford Research Center

Get more details in Digital Collections at:

thehenryford.org

Undesirable Home Surroundings Found on First Investigation, Ford Sociological Department, 1914-1915

View in our Collectionson thehenryford.org 

What is The Henry Ford?

The national attraction for discovering your ingenuity while exploring America’s spirit of innovation. There is always much to see and do at The Henry Ford.

VIEW CALENDAR

 
  • Tweet
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  • Embed

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Details
Undesirable Employee Home Conditions, Ford Sociological Department, circa 1914
Undesirable Employee Home Conditions, Ford Sociological Department, circa 1914 (back)

Undesirable Employee Home Conditions, Ford Sociological Department, circa 1914

The Henry Ford   Details

Undesirable Employee Home Conditions, Ford Sociological Department, circa 1914

View in our Collectionson thehenryford.org 

Artifact

Photographic print

Summary

Ford Motor Company established its Sociological Department in 1914. The department established rules and conditions that Ford employees had to meet to qualify for the company's Five Dollar Day pay rate. Department officials monitored employees both at work and at home. This photograph documented what the department considered to be undesirable living conditions at an employee's house.

Creators

Unknown 

Keywords

Photographs 

Photographic prints 

Automobile industry 

Employees 

Houses 

Industrial relations 

Ford Motor Company. Sociological Department 

Object ID

P.O.5372

Credit

From the Collections of The Henry Ford.

Location

By Request in the Benson Ford Research Center

Get more details in Digital Collections at:

thehenryford.org

Undesirable Employee Home Conditions, Ford Sociological Department, circa 1914

View in our Collectionson thehenryford.org 

What is The Henry Ford?

The national attraction for discovering your ingenuity while exploring America’s spirit of innovation. There is always much to see and do at The Henry Ford.

VIEW CALENDAR

 
  • Tweet
  • Share
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  • Embed

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Details
Unimproved Kitchen of Employee's Home, Ford Sociological Department, circa 1914

Unimproved Kitchen of Employee's Home, Ford Sociological Department, circa 1914

The Henry Ford   Details

Unimproved Kitchen of Employee's Home, Ford Sociological Department, circa 1914

View in our Collectionson thehenryford.org 

Artifact

Photographic print

Summary

Ford Motor Company established its Sociological Department in 1914. The department established rules and conditions that Ford employees had to meet to qualify for the company's Five Dollar Day pay rate. Department officials monitored employees both at work and at home. This photograph documented what the department considered to be undesirable living conditions at an employee's house.

Creators

Unknown 

Keywords

Photographs 

Photographic prints 

Employees 

Houses 

Kitchens 

Five Dollar Day 

Ford Motor Company. Sociological Department 

Object ID

84.1.1660.P.O.8680

Credit

From the Collections of The Henry Ford. Gift of Ford Motor Company.

Location

By Request in the Benson Ford Research Center

Get more details in Digital Collections at:

thehenryford.org

Unimproved Kitchen of Employee's Home, Ford Sociological Department, circa 1914

View in our Collectionson thehenryford.org 

What is The Henry Ford?

The national attraction for discovering your ingenuity while exploring America’s spirit of innovation. There is always much to see and do at The Henry Ford.

VIEW CALENDAR

 
  • Tweet
  • Share
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  • Embed

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Details
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20900 Oakwood Boulevard, Dearborn, MI 48124‑5029

Contact Center: 313-982-6001
Contact Center Hours: Monday–Friday 9:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.
Saturday 9:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m.
Sunday 9:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m.
  • Facebook
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  • THF Connect Mobile App
  • Subscribe to eNewsletter
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Text JOINTHF to 76371 for Updates & Discounts
Copyright © 2021 The Henry Ford
  • Legal Information
  • Privacy
  • Copyrights
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20900 Oakwood Boulevard, Dearborn, MI 48124-5029

Contact Center: 313-982-6001
Contact Center Hours: Monday – Friday 9:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.
Saturday 9:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m. Sunday 9:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m.
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