Classic American Icons Roll Into One Of D.C.'s Most Historic Landmarks Ahead Of America's 250th

dailycaller.com

Some of Ford Motor Company’s most iconic cars have rolled into Union Station, one of Washington, D.C.’s, most historic landmarks, ahead of America’s 250th anniversary.

“This summer, at the peak of America’s 250th birthday celebrations, those travelers will be greeted by something extraordinary. From July 1 through July 14, Ford will host Driving America Forward: A Ford Experience at Union Station, a free public exhibit that gathers, under one roof, some of the most culturally significant vehicles and artifacts in the American story,” according to Ford From the Road’s (FFTR) website.

The display traces more than a century of American innovation from the Ford Motor Company, housed inside one of the capital’s most historic transportation landmarks. (RELATED: Millennial Mom of Three: America 250 Will Teach My Kids to Love This Country, Not Apologize for It)

According to the FFTR, the vehicles are not “merely cars and trucks,” but part of “123 years” of American history. “They are the machines that carried us to work and to war, to church on Sunday, and to the moon itself. They built our towns.”

The FFTR also explains that Ford “has done more than build automobiles,” highlighting its development of the moving assembly line, a breakthrough that transformed manufacturing.

It also points to Ford’s introduction of the $5 workday, noting that wages doubled overnight because of “the radical notion that the men who built the cars ought to be able to drive one home.”

The exhibit credits the widespread availability of automobiles with helping fuel the Great Migration, which saw an estimated six million black Americans leave the rural South between the 1910s and 1970s in search of greater opportunities, according to the National Archives. (RELATED: CNN Reporter Admits Trump’s DC Crime Crackdown Is Cleaning Up Loitering At Union Station)

Ford also played a major role during World War II, when its factories shifted to military production. “At Willow Run, an engineering marvel rose from the Michigan farmland: a mile-long assembly line that produced a B-24 Liberator bomber every 63 minutes,” the exhibit states. “By war’s end, Ford had built more than 277,000 jeeps and countless tanks for the Arsenal of Democracy. And when the soldiers came home, Ford tractors helped them coax a living from their own soil.”

The company’s influence extended beyond the war years. At the 1964 New York World’s Fair, Ford introduced the Mustang, which became one of America’s most iconic automobiles, according to Ford’s website.

Decades later, the Ford F-Series became the nation’s best-selling truck for 49 consecutive years, serving as a vehicle for contractors, farmers, ranchers, and first responders across the country. (RELATED: Patriots Host Cross-Country Flag Relay For America250)

“Driving America Forward” is organized into seven chapters that outline Ford’s history and broader impact over time. It covers the company’s growth from a small Detroit automaker into a global manufacturer, along with its role in supporting key parts of the American workforce.