The books in this kit describe the rapid growth of industry in New York from its settlement by the Dutch in the early 1600s to the unionizatin of labor in the 1800s. An influx of immigrants in the early 1800s created an expanded labor pool as well as an increased demand for goods and services. It describes the conception of the stock market, the impact of the construction of the Erie Canal, and the effect of the railroad system on the state's economic and industrial growth. It also explains the efforts that were made to correct working conditions, including employee benefit programs and laws regulating working conditions and business practices. (class set of books/teacher's guide/12 map trancparencies/ map activities blackline masters/big book with guide).