Social Studies

The diverse peoples and cultures who call New York home are a huge part of what makes the state so unique. This book delves into the history of immigration in New York and the different cultures that have helped shape New York into the state it is today. Thoughtful text is supplemented by primary source documents and photographs that show New York in the past and as it is today.

Traveling back to the time before European explorers colonized New York, many Native American tribes roamed the forests and rivers of this resource-rich land. Tribes within the Iroquois League and Algonquian-speaking groups each had their own cultures and ways of living off the land—and each had their own inventive ways of using New York's abundant resources to survive and thrive. This book examines the earliest occupants of what is now New York State and how the arrival of European explorers greatly changed their way of life.

New York's history and culture is greatly influenced by its complex past, which includes the many years that the area was a Dutch colony known as New Netherland. This thought-provoking book provides a detailed history of the important people and events involved in shaping New York while it was under Dutch control. The book features beautiful paintings by Dutch artists as well as maps, primary sources, and biographical information about New Netherland's earliest leaders.

Before New York was a state full of prosperous cities connected by roads, canals, and trains, it was an uncharted land untouched by explorers. This exciting volume delves into the journeys of the first intrepid travelers who sailed across the ocean to settle and develop the Empire State. Featured explorers include Henry Hudson, Jacques Cartier, Samuel de Champlain, and Giovanni da Verrazano. Also included are valuable primary source documents and maps from this exciting period of New York's history.

New York has a complex three-branch system of government that is executed by a group of democratically elected leaders. This fact-filled volume examines the history of this government structure from its earliest roots in the Iroquois constitution to an explanation of the separation of powers. The book is richly formatted with full-color photographs as well as primary source documents that help bring the evolution of New York's government into the spotlight.

New York State has many unique geographical qualities and resources that have helped make it a leader in business and industry. This fascinating book traces the history of the state's industrial growth from its earliest colonial occupation by the Dutch to the development of factories and infrastructure that make New York the flourishing hub it is today. This helpful resource features primary source documents and maps from New York's history.

After the American Revolution, New York played a major role in the development of the newly formed United States. Not only was New York City the first capitol of the new nation, but many influential local writers, inventors, and leaders provided valuable contributions to the newly forming American government, economy, and culture. This engaging book provides information, supported by primary sources from the period, on the people and events that made New York such an invaluable part of the early history of the United States.