AMERICAN EXPERIENCE: Henry Ford

"Henry Ford" presents a fascinating portrait of a farm boy who rose from obscurity to become the most influential American innovator of the 20th century. Through his own fierce determination, Ford created the Model T, the most successful car in history, and introduced the groundbreaking five-dollar- a-day wage, ushering in the modern world as we know it.

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Henry Ford and Edsel Ford in Ford Model F Automobile, 1905.

Courtesy of the collections of The Henry Ford

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Henry Ford, James Couzens, Elwood Rice and Gaston Plantiff in Ford Model K Car, 1907.

Courtesy of the collections of The Henry Ford

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Henry Ford in his office at the Highland Park Plant, 1913.

Courtesy of the collections of The Henry Ford

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Ford Model T Chassis outside Highland Park Plant, 1914.

Courtesy of the collections of The Henry Ford

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Henry Ford ca. 1915.

Courtesy of the collections of The Henry Ford

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Edsel Ford and Henry Ford ca. 1915.

Courtesy of the collections of The Henry Ford

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The Ford English School graduating class as they emerged from the "Melting Pot," 1916.

Courtesy of the collections of The Henry Ford

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Henry Ford and Edsel Ford with Fordson Tractor, 1921.

Courtesy of the collections of The Henry Ford

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Henry Ford with Ford Model T, Buffalo, New York, 1921.

Courtesy of the collections of The Henry Ford

But despite his success, Ford remained restless and driven, always seeking to control what lay just beyond his grasp. The creator of an urban, industrial age, Ford longed for the simpler era he had helped destroy.

One of the nation’s richest men, he despised the wealthy and blamed Jews for what he deemed society’s degeneration. A hero to many ordinary Americans, he battled his workers and bullied those who looked up to him—including, and most tragically, his only son.

An absorbing life story, "Henry Ford" also offers an incisive look at the birth of the American auto industry with its long history of struggles between labor and management, and a thought-provoking reminder of how Ford’s automobile forever changed the way we work, where we live, and our ideas about individuality, freedom, and possibility.

Directed by Sarah Colt, "Henry Ford" will premiere on AMERICAN EXPERIENCE on Tuesday, January 29, 2013 on PBS, in conjunction with the 150th anniversary of Ford’s birth.

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