Essay 23-A: The Invention Of The Mass-Produced Motor Vehicle And The People

Essay Read by Constituting America Founder, Actress Janine Turner

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.

In 1903, Horatio Nelson Jackson and Sewall K. Crocker made the first cross-country trip across America in a Winton touring car, proving that the automobile was a valid means for long distance travel. The consequence of a wager in a San Francisco men’s club, Jackson, a medical doctor, committed to the journey. He engaged Crocker, a mechanic, to join him and along with Jackson’s dog, Bud, they departed. There were no interconnecting roads nor even maps. The team drove literally cross-country, following railroad tracks and sleeping on the ground. They made the trip from California to New York in 63 days at a cost of $8,000 and 600 gallons of gas. All because of a $50 bet – and the spirit of adventure. 

But, a car is not a single component, and the demands of the American public required a spectrum of parts, supplies and infrastructure. Demand necessitates supply and American productivity and entrepreneurship met the challenge. 

New industries and manufacturing techniques came into being. Tires, hoses and belts all created a new and greater need for durable rubber. Charles Goodyear redefined rubber materials manufacturing through his Vulcanization process. Innovations like Charles Kettering’s electric starters increased demand for batteries and electrical components – from starters to radios to headlights to fuel and water pumps and eventually today, computers. Better materials handling and crafting techniques were required to keep up with the new automotive innovations.

And, lest we overlook who is most famous name associated with the American automotive industry, Henry Ford conceived new industry altering techniques. Not only the most well known of these, the assembly line, but the revolutionary concept of raw material sourcing. Ford acquired forests for lumber, mining for iron ore and more to insure that the assembly line would not sit idle for lack of resources.

Along with automobiles, the oil industry grew in sync. From ‘wildcatters’ to ‘robber barons’, oil lubricated not only the automobiles but entire industries. People such as John D. Rockefeller (Standard Oil), George Getty (Minnehoma Oil Company and father of J. Paul Getty who founded Getty Oil) and Edward L. Doheny (Pan American Petroleum) created the first oil companies. Lubricating oil, petroleum derivative products and, most importantly, gasoline were indispensable to the publics full-hearted adoption of the automobile.

But the production of oil was not enough. Supply was growing, but as automobile usage grew, distribution was required. Initially, gasoline was sold through general stores and pharmacies. But being the capitalists that they were, the oil companies opened dedicated gas stations to peddle their petrol. A potential monopoly that could have retarded the growth of the automobile, but fortunately, entrepreneurship rose once again to provide a solution – gasoline distributors, individual gas station owners, manufacturers of ‘crackerjack’ gas station kits that could be purchased through a mail-order catalog all helped the exponential growth of the necessary infrastructure.

And what an infrastructure – from the clean slate of the land to dirt, gravel and paved roads, automobile travel became smoother and more enjoyable. As car travel grew, the requirement for interconnecting and improving roads led to more government involvement at every level – municipalities, counties, states and even the federal government became responsible for the quality of the roads and safety of drivers. In 1893, the federal Office of Road Inquiry (ORI) was founded to a succession of differently named regulatory offices. The Federal Aid Road Act of 1916, sponsored by Rep. Shackleford (D – MO) and Sen. Bankhead (D – AL) was the first legislation which provided federal funding on a 50/50 matching funds basis to help states develop and improve their roads. In 1921, the Federal Aid Highway Act was sponsored by Sen. Phipps (R – CO) creating the Federal Aid Road program to develop a new national highway system. A year later, historical Route 66 was created as part of this Act spanning 2,448 miles from Chicago to California. Then in 1956, the Federal-Aid Highway Act, championed by President Dwight D. Eisenhower, became law creating an all freeway road system linking the entire continental U.S.

Drivers’ requirements, whether for business or pleasure created the need for roadside restaurants, lodging, rest stops, and access to entertainment and parks. Individuals seeking their own path in pursuit of happiness met the need – regardless of being in a city, small town or on the side of the road on Route 66. 

And Lillian and Moses? By the limited records available, they lived long, active lives driving cross-country and selling their wares—a true story of the American Dream made possible by the Founders’ commitment to Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness.

      Lou Hutchison is a former entrepreneur whose career has spanned IT and management in the Financial, Healthcare and Tech sectors. An avid car collector, Lou is also a collector of books, aviation enthusiast and student of both history and human nature. Lou currently lives with his wife Tanis in Colorado where, for the time being, he is spending his retirement years raising alpacas.

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