Return to simple pleasures and simpler times. Enter the pages of this coloring book for adults, and you will find a peaceful way to reflect on what makes America a truly amazing country: our values of equality, opportunity, faith, family, character, generosity, justice, and perseverance. Each coloring page features an original design from one of nine different artists, illustrating an inspirational quote from one of the Founding Fathers, an historic document, a patriotic hymn, or another of America’s heroes. Slow down, quiet the noise, and express creativity as you color your way through history. So grab your colored pencils or markers, find a comfortable spot to relax, and spend some time celebrating America. To help set the perfect patriotic mood, a link to the “Coloring America” playlist is included inside.

This book—which took me over ten years to complete—will reveal you to be a beneficiary of an ancient heritage of dazzling depth and beauty. By the sheer fact of being a human being, you are connected to the heroes of the past, who through their titanic acts have moved the world incrementally forward. It is time for you to become acquainted with this heritage—and this book will do just that. We will trace the coming into consciousness of the human race from its tribal beginnings all the way up to the modern day. We will focus not on the succession of wars and kings, but on the soul-stirring and brave individuals, who with their ideas and insights have shaped our world, our self-perception, our understanding, and our freedom, and whose stories can give rich meaning to our lives. We start our story when humanity finds itself in a foreign body in the midst of nature, interpreting the world as an interplay of gods and demons. The West increasingly placed the individual center stage, seeing human beings as agents with a free will, able to comprehend the world through reason and science, and deserving of inalienable rights. In the East, the emphasis was on finding a timeless reality within ourselves, resulting in a relentless quest to understand and control the mind and rid ourselves of its illusions. It is the greatest story ever told.

The Congressional Record is the official record of the proceedings and debates of the United States Congress. It is published daily when Congress is in session. The Congressional Record began publication in 1873. Debates for sessions prior to 1873 are recorded in The Debates and Proceedings in the Congress of the United States (1789-1824), the Register of Debates in Congress (1824-1837), and the Congressional Globe (1833-1873)