Rep. Bieda offered the following resolution:
House Resolution No. 446.
A resolution commemorating the 100th anniversary of the Model T.
Whereas, On September 27, 1908, the Ford Motor Company ushered in the era of the mass-produced automobile with the rollout of the first Model T off the production line at the Piquette Plant in Detroit, Michigan; and
Whereas, With this achievement, the Model T became the first car to grab hold of the American imagination about how far cars could take the United States and the world. Over the next years, the car would be produced in factories in Europe and South America. As the production of the Model T spread across the globe, so did the ingenuity of the people of Detroit and Michigan; and
Whereas, It is generally regarded as the first affordable automobile, the car that "put America on wheels". Due to Henry Ford's innovation of the assembly line, mass production made viable the concept of a car that could be produced in an efficient manner; and
Whereas, The Model T's innovative design became the template for the industry, the prototype form for engineers over the next decades; and
Whereas, The car set the Ford Motor Company on a path of prosperity that would see the firm through the Great Depression and World War; and
Whereas, Workers on the Model T production line were paid five dollars a day, a novel concept in that time to pay workers enough so they could afford to purchase the items they were producing. This set the stage for future developments that led to the formation of the 'middle class'; and
Whereas, The people of Ford Motor Company today are among the hardest-working, the most dedicated to quality and craftsmanship; now, therefore, be it
Resolved by the House of Representatives, That the members of this legislative body commemorate the 100th anniversary of the Model T. We call upon the United States' Congress to act to preserve the Middle Class by working with the Michigan Automotive Industry to resolve the problems facing the manufacturing sector and preserve the spirit of the workers who toiled to create the first true great American car; and be it futher
Resolved, That copies of this resolution be transmitted to the board and executives of the Ford Motor Company, and to The Henry Ford Museum and on this anniversary as evidence of our esteem.