Donald DeKeyser

Aaron Martin
Honors 1000
21 October 2015
Becoming a Cog in the Machine
Romolo glanced down at the newspaper in his hands and looked for parts he could read.
A British business man had taught him a reasonable amount of English on the voyage from Italy
with the limited time they had, but the only thing that he immediately recognized in this paper
was the date, February 5th 1914. Now sitting in the train as it pulled into the station, he wished he
had been able to learn more. Other than the date, he could not help but notice multiple mentions
of a certain Mr. Ford and automobiles.
As he stepped out of the train he reached into the pocket of his trousers and retrieved a
photograph. On it was a man and women, in their wedding attire. Sofias letter said her husband
Antonio would be waiting for me. He then heard a voice call out to him in Italian.
Romolo, its good to see you again. We should hurry; its a bit of a walk to my house.
Sofia and I live near Gratiot, where many Italians have settled.1
So Antonio, tell me about this mysterious Mr. Ford. I have heard that doubled his workers pay
for no reason, yet his business is still profitable, Romolo said as the two of them walked
through the city.
Not exactly, his workers only get to participate in his five dollar day if they meet certain
requirements, Antonio answered, The business stays profitable because so many people are
buying his automobiles.
1Italians at this time were concentrated east of downtown on Gratiot Avenue
(Delicato 8).

What are these requirements? Romolo inquired.

Well, you must be at least twenty-two years old. Antonio began. And you must be
oh what did that pamphlet say Ah yes, you must be clean, sober, industrious, and
thrifty.2Well, in my humble opinion, I believe I am all of those things! Romolo exclaimed.
How can I get a job working for Mr. Ford?
Actually, my neighbor works at Mr. Fords factory in Highland Park3. Hes a nice fellow
from Germany by the name of Christoph. Ill talk to him and see if he can get you a job.
Antonio replied. Actually we are about to walk by his house, Ill see if hes back from work yet.
Why dont you continue on to my house? Its the one at the corner.
I will, and thank you for paying for my journey to America. The increases in militarization and
political alliances make war in Europe seem inevitable.4 Romolo said as he shook Antonios
hand.
Antonio simply shrugged Think nothing of it; were family.
Romolo continued down the road until he arrived at the corner. He walked up to the door
of the house and knocked, then heard the familiar voice of his sister from the open window on
the second floor.
Who is it?
Its your long lost brother, Romolo. He replied jokingly.
Romolo heard frantic footsteps descending through the house, until suddenly the door
was thrown open in front of him.
2 Explained in detail in the Ford Manual on page 8
3 The Model T was produced at the Highland Park Plant (The Remarkable Henry
Ford 2)
4 It was clear to many Europeans that war was on its way years before the
assassination of Archduke Ferdinand (International Encyclopedia of the Social
Sciences 3)

Its about time! Sofia walked up and embraced her brother. Its so good to see you
Romolo. Where is Antonio?
Hes talking to your neighbor about getting me a job working for Mr. Ford in Highland
park. Romolo responded excitedly.
Sofias smile faded. Not even here for a day and you are already under Mr. Fords spell.
What do you mean? Romolo Inquired.
Mr. Ford tries to control his workers too much. Men who need work sign up for his five
dollar day and agree to follow all of Mr. Fords rules. Sofia explained. And dont get me
started about those machines. I dont even feel safe walking to the market with those speeding
around every corner. I dont like being in the city, I would rather leave and move north to a
smaller town5
As they walked into the house Romolo asked, What rules?
Those people at the Ford Sociological department are too nosy. Workers are required to
let them into their homes to inspect their entire household. Sofia complained. From top to
bottom the scrutinize everythingnothing is private.
I had no idea, said Romolo, This city is much more complicated than anything Ive
seen back home in Italy. If Antonio hadnt been there when I got off the train, I doubt I would
have found my way here. But I do need to work, so if your neighbor can get me a job, Ill work
for Mr. Ford, for a little while at least.
Fine, but dont lose yourself in Mr. Fords grand design. Sofia replied
The next morning, Romolo woke up early and walked down the street to Christophs
house and knocked on the door.
5 Tocqueville claimed that Americans have a tendency to spread out if space if
available (a fortnight in the wilderness 237)

Good morning, Christoph said with a smile, Antonio says you want to work at the
plant in Highland Park; if thats the case then we had better get going, my shift starts soon. With
that Romolo and Christoph walked around to the alley behind his house. Well, here it is: my
Model T.
Romolo inspected the machine that his sister condemned. It was the first time he had seen
one in close proximity. It seemed alien to him. The wheels looked small compared the horse
drawn carriages he had grown up with in Italy. Similarly, the engine looked completely foreign.
He had never seen anything that looked remotely like the complex piece of metal situated in the
front of the machine.
So you build these every day? Romolo asked curiously.
Actually, I just put the back left wheel on. Christoph replied.
What do you mean? Romolo inquired.
Well, the plant uses an assembly line. Everyone has a specific job. One man might be
responsible for attaching the steering wheel while I myself am responsible for making sure the
wheel is attached correctly. Just like every part has its place in a Model T, every worker has their
place on the assembly line. Its pretty easy work, not much thinking required.6
The notion that there might be a spot on the line for him was encouraging for Romolo. When
they arrived at the plant Romolo was taken on a tour. He saw everyone on the assembly working
together toward a common goal, and how productive they could be, turning out Model T after
Model T like clockwork. Sofia was wrong: Fords system is a wonderful thing. If this system was
applied to the production of other inaccessible products, they could be made available to the

6Ford believed that unskilled workers liked the assembly line because it required
minimal thought and was repetitive. He believed that restless workers would dislike
it for the same reasons (Martell 73)

masses. Romolo decided that he wanted to be a part of that future and he would start by working
for Mr. Ford.

Works Cited
Adcroft, Andy, et al. "The myth of the line: Ford's production of the model T at Highland Park,
1909-16." Business History 35.3 (1993): 66+. Academic OneFile. Web. 21 Oct. 2015.
Alexis de Tocqueville. Fortnight in the Wilderness. n.p. Aug 1831. Print.
Delicato, Armando. Italians in Detroit. Charleston, SC: Arcadia, 2005. Print.
"Italian Americans." Worldmark Encyclopedia of Cultures and Daily Life. Ed. Timothy L. Gall
and Jeneen Hobby. 2nd ed. Vol. 2: Americas. Detroit: Gale, 2009. 310-313. Gale Virtual
Reference Library. Web. 21 Oct. 2015.
Martelle, Scott. Detroit: A Biography. Chicago, IL: Chicago Review, 2012. Print.
Rivera, DIego. Detroit Industry Mural. 1933. fresco. Detroit Institute of Arts, Detroit.
The Ford Manual. Detroit: Ford Motor Company. Web. 21 Oct. 2015
Wicks, Frank. "The Remarkable Henry Ford." Mechanical Engineering 125.5 (2003): 50-5.
ProQuest. Web. 21 Oct. 2015.
"World War I." International Encyclopedia of the Social Sciences. Ed. William A. Darity, Jr. 2nd
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