|
|
This is only a preview of the paper
Click here to register and get the full text.
Existing members click here to login
|
|
|
A Nation on Wheels by Mark S. Foster gives us a very compounded look at the history of automobiles in United States society. This work not only gives us a historical overview of the automobile industry, but also paints a picture of the different effects that these historical occurrences have had on the society. A great deal of time is covered in the book. This includes, “the first recorded sales of gasoline-powered vehicles in the United States” (Foster 8), to the rise of the current major car manufacturers. Foster does a great job explaining the obstacles and milestones that the industry had to overcome and achieved. Overall, Mark Foster accomplishes what he set out to do. What did he do? He completed a handbook that enables the reader to easily understand where the automobile industry has come from, as well as recognize where it is going in the future as well. When the majority of us think about the origin of the automobile, many of us think about Mr. Henry Ford and his model T right? This is the genius behind Foster’s book. Instead of feeding this narrow mindedness, Mr. Foster makes sure that the reader thinks ahead of this time by explaining the dynamics of the petroleum industry. Before the assembly line, automobile idealists’ were faced with the difficult task of “figuring out how to extract the raw product in significant quantities.” (Foster 6). Early in the twentieth century, and more after WWII this problem was solved by the U.S. as they we were able to pump out “roughly three fourths of the world’s output of crude oil.” (Foster 8). Now that the problem of how to make the automobile move was practically solved, the stage was set for a mass movement in the automobile. Foster also explains how the convenience of the car, furthered the decline of mass transportation in the form of trolley cars and carriages.
Approximate Word count = 1188
Approximate Pages = 4.8
(250 words per page double spaced)
|
|
|
|
|
|