14 February 7 • 2019
jn

MIKE SMITH DJN FOUNDATION ARCHIVIST

On the 100th anniversary of his purchase 
of the Dearborn Independent, Ford’
s legacy 
is examined by local journalist.

Y

es, our community just 
celebrated JN colum-
nist Danny Raskin’
s 100 
birthday, but this year also 
marks another rather infamous 
100th birthday. In January 1919, 
The Dearborn Independent, an 
18-year-old newspaper, began 
publishing under the ownership 
of Henry Ford I. It soon earned 
a reputation as perhaps the most 
anti-Semitic journal in America, 
republishing such tracts as “The 
Protocols of the Elders of Zion,” 
a fabricated, false and slanderous 
piece of writing, and the four-vol-
ume series, The International Jew. 
In short, these works blamed 
the Jews for World War I and 
most international political-eco-
nomic problems. In this respect, 
as owner of the Independent, Ford 
was like many other Americans 
of his generation. It was an era 
in which 30,000 Ku Klux Klan 
(KKK) members in 1925, wear-
ing their signature white robes 
with pointy hats, boldly marched 
in daylight down Constitution 
Avenue in Washington, D.C. 
Let me emphatically state at 
this point that Henry Ford’
s 
severe prejudice does not reflect 
in any way upon the modern 
Ford Motor Company or the Ford 
family itself. Nor does it detract 
from the monumental accom-
plishments of Henry Ford, the 
entrepreneur and manufacturer 

who, more than any other indi-
vidual, was responsible for put-
ting America on wheels, thereby 
changing the nature of the 20th 
century. But, it is also accurate to 
say that Ford had a dark side, and 
the history of his personal bias, 
like other stories of prejudice, is 
still relevant to understanding 
today’
s global rise in anti-Semi-
tism. 
Indeed, over the past few years, 
we have witnessed a sad and 
worrying rise in anti-Semitism. 
There have been attacks on Jews 
in France and other European 
nations, and a resurgence of far-
right politics in such places as 
Austria, Germany and Poland. 
At marches and soccer games, 
anti-Semitic slogans are brazen-
ly used as a form of smearing 
the opposition. America has 
not been immune to this phe-
nomenon. In 2017, there was a 
violent “Unite the Right” rally 
staged by neo-Nazi adherents 
in Charlottesville, Va., and, last 
year, the horrific 
shooting at the Tree 
of Life synagogue in 
Pittsburgh, Pa. 
It is in this 
context of rising 
and worrisome 
anti-Semitism that 
veteran Detroit 
journalist Bill McGraw has 
written “Henry Ford and ‘
The 

jews d
in 
the

Bill McGraw

continued on page 16

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terly
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“The Jew is a 
race that has 
no civilization 
to point to, no 
aspiring religion, no 
great achievement 
in any realm.”
Henry Ford’s 
Dearborn 
Independent
Dearborn
Independent

A Special Report: Henry Ford and ‘
Th
Th
Th
Th
Th
Th
The International Jew’

Henry Ford bought The Inde
epe
pe
pend
nd
den
en
en
e t 
t 10
10
100 ye
year
ars 
s 
s 
s 
s ag
ag
ag
go an
nd us
us
used
ed
ed it to
to
to
o att
tt
ttac
ack Je
Je
Je
Jews
ws
ws
w . Fo
Fo
ord
rd
rd
d and
nd

the paper are long gone, but
ut the hat
ate he
e u l
nlea
ea
ea
ash
sh
sh
shed flourishes in the Inter
rne
n t ag
ag
ag
ge.
e.
e.
.

Anti-Semitism 

The

of Henry Ford

on the cover

Editor’
s Note:
The mayor of Dearborn halted 
publication of this journal. See 
related story on page 12.
To read McGraw’
s story, visit 
deadlinedetroit.com.

DEARBORN HISTORICAL MUSEUM/LAUREN ANN DAVIES

