Automobiles
Automobiles is a series that chronicles America's love affair with the car. The story of the manufacture and development of the automobile and its social and cultural impact is one of the principal historical narratives of the twentieth century. Each episode of Automobiles presents a different vehicle and the historical story and impact of that vehicle. Automobiles would be useful for classes on American History, The History of Science and Technology, Cultural History and Economics. It is appropriate for middle school and high school.
The Tucker
The Tucker is the story of the unique car that Preston Tucker tried to bring to the American public. The Tucker was an innovative new car design in the late 1940s, with an emphasis on safety and performance features. But Preston Tucker's dream was never to reach fruition. Plagued by production problems and, more importantly, investigated by the Securities and Exchange Commission, Tucker's car never made it to the consumer market. Although he was found innocent of any wrongdoing and cleared by the Securities and Exchange Commission, the delays and negative publicity forced his company to fold. There is speculation that Preston Tucker was the victim of sabotage, possibly by the other large automobile manufacturers who did not want to see Tucker's innovative new car on the market.
Discussion Questions
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Preston Tucker was known to have a winning personality. One man bet one hundred dollars that "no one could spend five minutes with Preston Tucker and not like him." How did Tucker's magnetic personality contribute to his career and his company?
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Preston Tucker, like most car builders, was an avid fan of car racing. Today, car racing is one of America's leading spectator sports. How does car racing contribute to advances in car design and manufacture?
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The Tucker automobile was introduced in the late 1940s, soon after World War II. How did World War II contribute to the advances of the Tucker and to Preston Tucker's dream?
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What is the "art" in car manufacturing?
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The innovation of the Tucker automobile was its safety features, features that automobiles of the period did not have. What safety features designed by Preston Tucker for his dream car are still used in today''s automobiles?
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Why did the Tucker corporation fail?
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Do you think that Preston Tucker was "framed?" If so, why? If not. why not?
Extended Activities
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Design your own dream car. What would your design emphasize? How would you improve on the car designs of today?
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Dividing the class into two sections, debate the topic of whether Preston Tucker was an innovative genius or just a dreamer who did not succeed.
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