Lillian and Moses were two ordinary Americans in the 1920’s. Entrepreneurs who embraced Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness. And they did this with their 1919 REO Speedwagon that they modified into a ‘house car’ or what we would refer to today as a ‘RV’. With their ‘RV’, Lillian and Moses made their living driving from county fair to state fair and sold merchandise that were the prizes at the fair games.

America’s Founders crafted many documents and words, but among them were the immortal words above, along with enumerating American’s rights under the Constitution. And while ‘freedom of travel’ is not specifically mentioned, the 9th Amendment makes clear that the omission of travel does not impair that right.

Americans embraced the concept of freedom of travel – by horse, by railroads and, in 1895, the automobile. With the founding of Charles and Frank Dureya’s manufacturing company, the Dureya Motor Wagon Company, America joined Europe in pursing this new form of transportation. The automobile blended the best of horse and rail transportation – flexibility in determining one’s own timing and route, along with the time saving benefits of mechanical engines.

On the heels of the Dureya brothers, competitors emerged with names that echo with American innovation, determination and entrepreneurship – names such as Olds, Charles Kettering, Buick, Chevrolet, William Durant, Henry Leland and the ‘needs no introduction’ Henry Ford. It was on the shoulders of these giants and countless other unsung inventors that the automobile industry was formed. Not by government fiat nor spending, but by individual effort as protected by our founding principles.

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