July 4th is one of the greatest American holidays. It celebrates our declaration of independence from Great Britain. Independence Day has officially been a federal holiday since 1941 but celebrations of this important date go back to that very historic day. In a letter to his wife John Adams, 2nd President of the United States, wrote that Independence Day will be celebrated with “Pomp and Parade…Games, Sports, Guns, Bells, Bonfires and Illuminations from one End of this Continent to the other.”

While we can all agree that fireworks and summer games are one of the best parts about July 4th celebrations, Adams missed one very important celebration method: coloring books. Below are our picks for the most patriotic adult coloring books you should use to celebrate this Independence Day.

God Bless America by Multnomah

This adult coloring book is an awesome way to celebrate July 4th while also relaxing and unwinding after a hard work week. Inside this book you will find 37 designs for your coloring enjoyment that range from famous battle scenes to The Liberty Bell, Lady Liberty, and even one commemorating Neil Armstrong’s famous first steps on the moon. Altogether this coloring books is a fantastic celebration of America.

The designs in this book are printed on good quality paper that will produce minimal bleed through when using most markers and gel pens. Expect bleed through when using heavier markers like Sharpie brand. We would still recommend using a blank sheet of paper behind designs you are coloring to make sure you do not ruin other designs. Designs are printed on one side of the page which allows you to remove your colorings and display them easily.

Audubon’s Birds Of America by Dover Publications

John James Audubon is arguably the most famous American naturalist who spent a large portion of his life dedicated to recording America’s wildlife. This coloring book includes over 45 bird designs faithfully redrawn by Paul E. Kennedy from Audubon originals. Coloring this book will help you relax, reconnect with nature, and celebrate the great outdoors that help make America such a special place.

This adult coloring book is great because it gives you the option of trying to color the designs true to nature or you can use your full creativity and make these birds your own. The only issue with this coloring book is that designs are printed on both the front and back of pages so you will have bleed through if using markers or coloring pens. For this reason we suggest using only colored pencils or you will not be able to get the full experience of this book.

Story Of The Civil War by Dover Publications

This fantastic historical coloring book by Dover Publications will bring the lessons and scenes of one of the most iconic American Wars to your favorite coloring spot. While coloring brush up on your history with the small excerpts describing the scenes and events you are coloring. Other designs waiting for your touch of color depict famous people like Harriet Tubman and Fredrick Douglas.

This coloring book has 48 pages with designs printed on both sides of every page. Unfortunately this does mean that while the designs are great using markers or gel pens will result in bleed through which will ruin the design on the back of the one you are coloring. For this reason we recommend using colored pencils to color in the designs. This coloring book will help you not only enjoy this July 4th but actually spend some time remembering all those events that took place to make our lives today possible.

Color America by Donna Moses

This fun and quirky coloring book celebrates many of our favorite things about America. Although this coloring book does not have a lot of intricate details to challenge you as a colorist it will definitely put a smile on your face and get you into that July 4th spirit.

The 37 folksy designs in this coloring book are printed on medium quality paper with one design per page. This helps to minimize bleed through onto other designs. If you are using heavier markers or gel pens we do recommend using a scrap piece of paper in between pages to stop any possible bleed through onto other designs.

America The Beautiful by Dover Publishing

Celebrate the great outdoors that make America one of the greatest places to live with this adult coloring book. Many of us like to spend our Independence Day outside with family and friends basking in that July sun. This coloring book will help transport you to national parks and famous waterways and help you celebrate the rest of the lands our forefathers gave their lives for.

Like other Dover Publishing coloring book this one has 48 pages of designs printed on medium thickness paper. The only downside of this book is that the designs are printed on either side of the pages which will allow for bleed through onto the other designs if using markers or gel pens.

With the current temps outside in the freezing areas it may not feel like it but July 4th is just around the corner, and with it all the fun and outdoor activities we are so good at. Get ready for this Independence Day with any of these awesome adult coloring books and you will not only celebrate the most American of holidays but you will also get to remember why we celebrate and what America truly represents.