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== American Tradition ==
<section begin="American" />
<section begin="American" />As the use of coats of arms may be seen as a custom of royalty and nobility, it had been debated whether the use of arms is reconcilable with American republican traditions. Families from English, Scottish, Irish, Welsh, German, and other European nations with a heraldic tradition have retained their familial coat of arms in the United States. Several founding fathers also employed personal arms and a great number of Americans continue to do so.<section end="American" />
[[File:Greater coat of arms of the United States.svg|thumb|400px|Coat of arms of the United States of America]]
<section end="American" />
== Canadian Tradition ==
<section begin="Canadian" />
<section begin="Canadian" />Derived mainly from heraldic traditions in France and the United Kingdom, Canadian heraldry also incorporates distinctly Canadian symbols, especially native flora and fauna, references to the First Nations, Inuit and other aboriginal peoples of Canada, and uniquely Canadian elements such as the Canadian pale, derived from the Canadian flag. A unique system of cadency is used for daughters inheriting arms, and a special symbol for United Empire Loyalists.<section end="Canadian" />
[[File:Coat of arms of Canada.svg|thumb|400px|Coat of arms of Canada]]
<section end="Canadian" />
== Germanic Tradition ==
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