A ruggedly independent, often bullheaded genius, Henry Ford was scarred by battles with bankers, labor unions, newspapers, and courts. He had been denounced as a tyrant and a crank and hailed as a prophet. Through it all, he went his own stubborn way, telling his opponents and the entire nation exactly what he thought of them and still selling millions of cars. Here, in this essay by historian Bernard A. Weisberger, is Ford's remarkable story.