You are watching American History tv, all weekend, every weekend on cspan3. To join the conversation, like us on facebook. Each week, American History tvs reel america brings you archival films that tell the story of the 20th century. Henry fords mirror of america offers a glimpse of life in the United States from 1914 to 1945. Henry ford created the Film Department to document current events, culture, and produce educational and industrial films. In the Ford Motor Company 1963, donated over 5000 films to the National Archives as a gift to the american people. The National Archives produced this documentary that year to show highlights of the ford collection. In so many ways, henry ford was a simple man. He liked to go camping with his friends. That is Thomas Edison behind him. He enjoyed Old Time Country dancing. Here he is with burroughs, the naturalist. Skating with his grandchildren. They plant a garden together. His first car. That is his wife. He began with an idea that most people thought would not work, but he made it work. The tools he used were common sense, ingenuity, and perseverance. Along with the natural instinct for knowing how to put machines together and make them run. He was born into a world of limited horizons. Though he left the farm that might have been his heritage, he never lost his love for the land and the everlasting cycle. What he accomplished helped man put the burden of work on machines and broke the barriers of space and time, of isolation and distance. His life was a paradox. While his mechanical genius helped to change forever the lives of people everywhere, he sought to preserve a record of the world around him and his ever widening interest in it. He collected buildings the way others collect stamps and put them in a village where time stands still. He assembled acres of machines and put them under cover in a vast museum. Early he discovered the capacity of the Motion Picture camera to document for all time whatever it saw when the crank was turned. In april 1914, he organized a Motion Picture department which produced films that were shown in theaters and schools throughout the country. Travelogues, newsreels, and documentaries that touched on nearly every facet of american life. This is the way the country looks in the years before the first world war. Rich, rolling, but often inaccessible. The man on the farm works as his forefathers have. It is a hard hard life for man and beast. And a long day for the farmers wife, too. Many a quiet evening at home because there is no place to go and no light to read by. A man thinks twice before he goes to market on roads like this. And sometimes, he never even gets there. [train whistle] it is a long walk to school on a muddy road. More fun to go by sleigh in the winter. During recess, there is time for a snowball fight. A climb up the old elm tree if you have the spunk for daring deeds like this. The one sure way to get someplace is on a train. [train sounds] but you can only go where the tracks go. Life in the city moves at a slow pace. This is pennsylvania avenue in washington, no trip to the capital is complete without a tour of the white house. President wilson lives here now. The east room with its chandeliers and shiny floors. There is more hustle and bustle down at the market. Nathaniel hall in boston or new york city on the lower east side. Always plenty to do and see in the big town. Ride the elevator train all the way from the battery far uptown. There is the hippodrome, one of the big theaters in new york. Another way to see the city is a boat ride around around manhattan island. All aboard watch out. Some city slicker may try to sell you the brooklyn bridge. We are passing the battery with its famous aquarium. There is a navy cruiser at anchor. Great ocean liners along the hudson river. Mighty Tall Buildings in new york city. The flatiron building, shaped like a triangle, and the woolworth building, 60 stories high, tallest in the world. Look at that traffic on 5th avenue. Kind of peaceful over on riverside drive. Grants tomb, always one of the favorite sites to see. Sunday in central park. No place like it for a leisurely stroll or a boat ride on the lagoon. Thrills and spills at coney island. They say some folks even get wet if the water is warm enough. Where do we go on vacation once a year . Atlantic city, of course. No, that is not a real elephant. It is a hotel at the end of the boardwalk. Look, they are waving out the elephants eye. The Atlantic Ocean and a group of acrobats. Most of the time, they stroll along the boardwalk or ride along in the rolling chairs. Every city has a pretty park. This is belle isle near detroit with lagoons for a quiet afternoon ride in a canoe, if you dont mind the crowds. Some like to dance while others gather around to listen. In the winter, the adventurous go ice skating. It is easy if you know how. For the really daring, there is nothing like the thrill of an ice road on a clear, cold day or for the fast track on a toboggan slide. There is plenty of speed at an auto race, once they get going. Buffalo bill himself in his 71st year and straight as an arrow. It is 1916 and he is on tour with his circus again, indian or dances and bucking broncos. The opening of baseball season. Time to throw out the first ball. Snapshots of other people we know. John burroughs, the naturalist, waves to admirers. Luther burbank, an expert in horticulture. In his experiments, he has removed the spines from the cactus. He says it is good to eat, too. We will take his word for it. Thomas edison in San Francisco in 1915, he is out for a drive with his wife and mr. And mrs. Harvey firestone. Joseph g. Cannon of illinois, former speaker of the house of representatives. Will rogers, americas favorite humorist. Out west, a few hardy souls visit Glacier National park. They go for a climb. A little short on equipment, but strong in spirit. The view is worth the effort, so they say. Uh oh. There goes dad. It is not all play. There is still work to be done and no limit it seems to our natural resources. The cameraman cannot resist his little joke. You see a lot of women in the factories now. These girls are making footballs. These are making hats. There is a difference. Down at the post office, they are teaching the girls to sort the mail. One thing they learn in a hurry, dont pick up too many at once. Too bad. Here is a clean place for women to work, and steady, too. Some men change their collars twice a week. Machines do more and more of the hard work these days. For instance, here is the way they assemble the spokes to make the wheel for the model t ford in Highland Park, michigan. The eighthour workday ends and the men go home. Mostly by trolley. Not many can afford to buy a car of their own yet. These men went home long ago, when the war between the states ended. But the survivors, both blue and gray, still meet together once a year to renew old acquaintance. It is 1917. They are camped at vicksburg, mississippi. What memories they must have. They have fought their war. While these raw recruits in michigan are being trained to fight another war. [bugle call] the call goes out and youth responds enthusiastically. How can they know what lies ahead . Just a year ago, we reelected Woodrow Wilson as president. Now we are in a war we had hoped to avoid, but we are confident he will lead us to victory. The mood of the nation changes. We talk about liberty loans, liberty cabbage. Who will win the war . And uncle sam needs you. Old heroes are popular again. Here is Theodore Roosevelt surrounded by crowds wherever he goes. Everything is just bully. And there is a parade in every city and town. The training is deadly serious now. We are learning to pronounce names of places we have never heard of before. Our factories convert to the production of engines and arms. These are the famous liberty engines. She is doing her bit. Here is a certificate for buying 500 worth of liberty bonds. Henry ford receives a Navy Contract to build eagle boats. Here he is in washington with josephus daniels, secretary of the navy. Using the technique of the Automobile Assembly line, they are riveted together at fords new plant. The launching of an eagle boat, sleek and fast, built for antisubmarine warfare. At Highland Park, ford experiments with a small tank powered by two model t engines. Can it cross the trenches . Not every time. Well, back to the drawing board. The city of detroit turns out to say goodbye and good luck to those who go to fight in foreign fields. They dont give up on the small tank. Maybe those skids in back will help. Going great. Too bad. Big brother shows how it should be done. At Highland Park, the men turn out for a patriotic parade and draft. Another new weapon in this war, not very effective yet, but this but there is glory for the men who fly it. This is the first model of the martin bomber. Eddie rickenbacker, americas flying ace, comes home to encourage more plane production. Here is how they manufacture the curtis flying boats. A liberty engine. The faces of america at war. These are men working in the shipyard at hog island. A red cross girl, a familiar and friendly sight. The captain has worked at the bureau of engraving in washington since 1864. Barracks life in an army camp. More and more troop trains head for points of embarkation. The last cup of coffee before we shove off. A sobering moment. But we wont come back until its over, over there. Meanwhile, back at the tank test, there goes another one. But soon the bugs are all ironed out and the government places an order for 15,000 tanks. Lord northcliffe in detroit, sent by king george to arrange for the shipment of forts and tractors to great britain, to speed up the production of food. He drives a new one followed by henry ford. Parades and more parades to keep the home fires burning. Now is the time to buy liberty bonds so we can finish the job we have started. Keep buying them, mister. And then it is over. And the world is safe for democracy. [cheering crowd] one more parade in washington. There is president harding. And general black jack pershing. They are marching to Arlington Cemetery to bury the unknown soldier. Lots of changes around the country now. It seems like everyone is on the move. But weve got to do something about those roads. It takes forever to cross a river this way. We begin to build new roads as fast as we can. Mighty smooth riding now. There is one car that takes you anywhere you want to go, the model t. Strong, sturdy, with a will of its own. Here is how they put them together at the Highland Park plant. A car comes off the end of the line every 10 seconds. Dealers sell them in just about every town in the land. There is no end to what you can do when you own a car. No longer locked on the land, a farmers wife can get away from the farm for a while and take the baby down the road for a visit. Trucks take over the job of moving produce to market. The sunday afternoon drive becomes a national habit. This is the Columbia River highway in oregon, built in 1917. Magnificent sights to see in america and the car is the way to get there. Watch it. That bear is hungry. For a real vacation, nothing beats a camping trip. Picnics in the park or alongside the lake. You can even sleep in a car if you want. Henry ford and his friends go camping in style. President harding arrives to pay a sunday visit while they are in the great smoky mountains. Here he is with harvey firestone. Ford chops wood for exercise. While Thomas Edison takes a snooze. Firestone offers some friendly advice. The president takes a turn with the ax. Ford, edison, and the president read the papers. One way to keep them down on the farm, buy a tractor. They are selling more every year. Modern equipment speeds up the work, makes it easier and more efficient, too. Now electricity does the chores for the farmers wife. And Running Water wherever you want it. No more trips to the pump. And no more churning for grandmother. There is a growing problem in the cities, what to do about all of the traffic. Sometimes it seems to go like this. And there is a parking problem, even in small towns. The policeman has a new responsibility, directing traffic. Steps are taken to, ties and to,e steps are taken ties the need for safer driving. Special Motion Pictures show what can happen when we are not alert. The age of the automobile changes nearly every aspect of american life. The tempo quickens in city and country. No longer a luxury, almost everyone can afford to own a car and sometimes it seems as though we are all on the road at the same time. Are a nation on wheels and as ato take to the air slim young man and a silver plane opens up new horizons. Here he is Charles Lindbergh landing at the ford airport. Another pioneer gives us the courage to try something new. In no time at all, there are scheduled flights to anywhere you want to go. The dimensions of time and space are further diminish. A new age begins and we move forward with it. Past go, we preserve the to mirror the accomplishments of those who have shown us the way to the future. With live coverage of the the house on cspan and senate on cspan2, here on cspan, we complement that coverage by showing you the most relevant hearings and Public Affairs events. On weekends, cspan3 is home to American History tv, with programs that tell our nations stories including the civil wars 150th anniversary, american artifacts, touring museums and Historic Sites to discover what artifacts reveal about americas asked. History bookshelves come with the bestknown American History writers, with the presidency looking at our nations commanders in chief. Top College Professors delve into americas pass and real america, showing educational films from the 1930s through the 70s. Cspan3, created by the cable tv industry and funded by your local cable and satellite provider. Join us tonight as a u. S. Capital Historical Society awards congressman john lewis the 2014 Freedom Award in the capital statuary hall. During the night teen 60s civil rights union, he served as chairman of the Nonviolent Coordinating Committee and helped organize the march on washington and the Voting Rights march from selma to montgomery, alabama. That tonight at 9 25 eastern time here on cspan3s American History tv. This year, cspan is touring cities across the country, exploring American History. Next, a look at our recent visit to waco, texas
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