The Democratization of the Automobile Industry: Construction, Culture, and Preservation

FAIN: BH-288025-22

Ball State University (Muncie, IN 47306-1022)
Ronald V. Morris (Project Director: February 2022 to present)
Denise A. Shockley (Co Project Director: August 2022 to present)

Two place-based workshops for 36 K-12 educators each on the historical, economical, and cultural impact of the automobile industry on the Midwest and broader United States. 

Car culture shapes media and popular culture in America. In this project, educators learn how the automobile illustrates social history of the working class, including the Great Migration, and the accompanying shadow of racism. The workshops also explore industrial preservation and adaptive reuse to examine why place matters in our communities and how participants can help their students to look at old structures in any community across America. Participants create virtual field trips from the sites they visit for their students and students in other places to use as they conduct inquiry. In an inquiry process, they question, use a disciplinary framework, and evaluate sources, before communicating their conclusions and taking action in their community. As educators have learned in the recent pandemic, access to digital resources is crucial for student learning as they conduct their own investigations.

Associated Products

Black Workers at Studebaker (Film/TV/Video Broadcast or Recording)
Title: Black Workers at Studebaker
Writer: Kyle Sater
Director: Kenny Deetz
Producer: Kenny Deetz
Abstract: Black workers in South Bend found employment in the auto industry.
Year: 2024
Primary URL: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MVy--1z-Kqg
Access Model: open access
Format: Video

Beyound Jim Crow: Fox Lake Resort (Film/TV/Video Broadcast or Recording)
Title: Beyound Jim Crow: Fox Lake Resort
Writer: Owen Norton
Director: Owen Norton
Producer: Owen Norton
Abstract: The positives and negatives of working in the recrecational vehicles industry is explored in this video.
Year: 2024
Primary URL: http://drive.google.com/file/d/1__9_RTWfbHH4yH2T56f4vNOw8YXFHqz6/view
Access Model: open access
Format: Video

The Lincoln Highway (Film/TV/Video Broadcast or Recording)
Title: The Lincoln Highway
Writer: Glory-June Greiff
Director: Kenny Deetz
Producer: Kenny Deetz
Abstract: The Lincoln Highway was the first coast to coast road across the United States known as US 30 today.
Year: 2024
Primary URL: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t1lzDHrzYoQ
Access Model: open access
Format: Video

The Michigan Road (Film/TV/Video Broadcast or Recording)
Title: The Michigan Road
Writer: Glory-June Greiff
Director: Kenny Deetz
Producer: Kenny Deetz
Abstract: The Michigan Road was the first state road linking the Ohio River to Lake Michigan in Indiana.
Year: 2024
Primary URL: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d4LNjYrrjtc
Access Model: open access
Format: Video

The Hands on America's RVs (Film/TV/Video Broadcast or Recording)
Title: The Hands on America's RVs
Writer: Owen Norton
Director: Owen Norton
Producer: Owen Norton
Abstract: This video examines the positives and negatives of recreational vehicle construction.
Year: 2024
Primary URL: http://drive.google.com/file/d/18HRyxZb6--KAwVORTFG1dAKCdQBg3gYi/view
Access Model: open access
Format: Video

Carl G. Fisher (Film/TV/Video Broadcast or Recording)
Title: Carl G. Fisher
Writer: Glory-June Greiff
Director: Kenny Deetz
Producer: Kenny Deetz
Abstract: Carl Fisher was the father of the Lincoln and Dixie highways as well as the Indianapolis 500.
Year: 2024
Primary URL: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jNPDqWZJqWI
Access Model: open access
Format: Video

The Dixie Highway (Film/TV/Video Broadcast or Recording)
Title: The Dixie Highway
Writer: Glory-June Greiff
Director: Kenny Deetz
Producer: Kenny Deetz
Abstract: The Dixie Highway ran from the Midwest and East coast to Miami in Florida.
Year: 2024
Primary URL: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l1ibjRPFqqk
Access Model: open access
Format: Video

Examining Assemblies in the Midwest (Computer Program)
Title: Examining Assemblies in the Midwest
Author: Claire Matingly
Abstract: A story map of current Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio auto assembly plants and car part manufacturers.
Year: 2024
Primary URL: https://storymaps.arcgis.com/stories/03892f8bcb59482984927e292e4723e4
Access Model: yes
Source Available?: No

Auto Tourism in Indiana and Ohio (Computer Program)
Title: Auto Tourism in Indiana and Ohio
Author: Katrina Partow
Abstract: Middle 20th century auto services and attractions across Indiana and Ohio.
Year: 2024
Primary URL: https://storymaps.arcgis.com/stories/d61e45381c3a402f92cd438005da4934
Access Model: open access
Source Available?: No

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