Melting Pot Ceremony at Ford English School, July 4, 1917
THF106481 / Melting Pot Ceremony at Ford English School, July 4, 1917
01
Artifact Overview
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.
Artifact Details
Artifact
Photographic print
Subject Date
04 July 1917
Collection Title
Location
By Request in the Benson Ford Research Center
Object ID
84.1.1660.P.O.7227
Credit
From the Collections of The Henry Ford. Gift of Ford Motor Company.
Material
Paper (Fiber product)
Technique
Gelatin silver process
Color
Black-and-white (Colors)
Dimensions
Height: 8.25 in
Width: 10 in
Keywords |
|---|
02
Related Content
Set
The Most Popular Digital Collections Artifacts of 2018
- 50 Artifacts
Early luxury vehicles sometimes contained bud vases for flowers. The flowers, whether real or silk, freshened up the interior. This pressed glass bud vase from The Henry Ford's 1922 Detroit Electric car has molded flowers on its sides.
Set
The Most Popular Digital Collection Artifacts of 2017
- 50 Artifacts
Inside this bus on December 1, 1955, Rosa Parks, a soft-spoken African-American seamstress, refused to give up her seat to a white man, breaking existing segregation laws. The flawless character and quiet strength she exhibited successfully ignited action in others. For this, many believe Rosa Parks's act was the event that sparked the Civil Rights movement.
Set
Lesson: Ford’s Solutions
- 7 Artifacts
This is a photograph of a diploma awarded by the Ford English School. The school was established by the company in 1914 in order to address the problem of non-English speaking workers and the safety hazards they posed. Immigrants could use a Ford English School diploma to meet many of the requirements prior to the final citizenship exam.
Set
Immigration Stories
- 14 Artifacts
Set
Henry Ford: Sociological Department
- 16 Artifacts
Ford workers disliked the new assembly line methods so much that by late 1913, labor turnover was 380 percent. The company's announcement to pay five dollars for an eight-hour day compared to the previous rate of $2.34 for a nine-hour day made many workers willing to submit to the relentless discipline of the line in return for such high wages.
Set
The Most Popular Digital Collections Artifacts of 2019
- 50 Artifacts
On April 13, 1934, Ford Motor Company received this unusual product testimonial. In it notorious bank robber Clyde Barrow extolled the virtues of Ford V-8s as getaway cars. Handwriting analysts have questioned the letter's authenticity, but it is the sort of thing the publicity-seeking Barrow might have written.
Set
Most Popular Artifacts during Our Pandemic Closure, 2020
- 49 Artifacts
British-born Ken Miles was a gifted race car engineer and driver. Through his work for Carroll Shelby, Miles got involved in Ford's GT racing program. Miles won the 24 Hours of Daytona and the 12 Hours of Sebring in 1966, and he placed second at Le Mans. Miles died in a crash while testing Ford's J-Car later that year.
Set
Our Most-Viewed Digitized Artifacts of All Time
- 100 Artifacts
British-born Ken Miles was a gifted race car engineer and driver. Through his work for Carroll Shelby, Miles got involved in Ford's GT racing program. Miles won the 24 Hours of Daytona and the 12 Hours of Sebring in 1966, and he placed second at Le Mans. Miles died in a crash while testing Ford's J-Car later that year.
Set
The Most Popular Digital Collections Artifacts of 2020
- 50 Artifacts
British-born Ken Miles was a gifted race car engineer and driver. Through his work for Carroll Shelby, Miles got involved in Ford's GT racing program. Miles won the 24 Hours of Daytona and the 12 Hours of Sebring in 1966, and he placed second at Le Mans. Miles died in a crash while testing Ford's J-Car later that year.
Set
The Most Popular Digital Collections Artifacts of 2021
- 49 Artifacts
British-born Ken Miles was a gifted race car engineer and driver. Through his work for Carroll Shelby, Miles got involved in Ford's GT racing program. Miles won the 24 Hours of Daytona and the 12 Hours of Sebring in 1966, and he placed second at Le Mans. Miles died in a crash while testing Ford's J-Car later that year.
Set
The Most Popular Digital Collections Artifacts of 2022
- 47 Artifacts
British-born Ken Miles was a gifted race car engineer and driver. Through his work for Carroll Shelby, Miles got involved in Ford's GT racing program. Miles won the 24 Hours of Daytona and the 12 Hours of Sebring in 1966, and he placed second at Le Mans. Miles died in a crash while testing Ford's J-Car later that year.
article
A Table of Digital Connections
Go behind the scenes to discover how we developed a twelve-foot-long touch table in Henry Ford Museum to reveal artifact connections made by both curators and artificial intelligence.