Today every independent country has a flag that gives them a unique identity．Usually there is a story and meaning behind each flag．The colours used on a national flag are not used simply because they look good－they usually symbolize something about the growth, values and culture of that country．Sometimes colours mean the same thing in different cultures, but they can often mean different things to people in different cultures．

　　The French flag, sometimes called the“Tricolore”, was first used in 1789, after the French Revolution The conclusion of the French Revolution led up to big changes throughout the country．Before the Revolution, there was great unrest because people did not have freedom and had often been treated unfairly．Many people died of starvation．After the Revolution, people had far more freedom, and people were considered equal, and large numbers of people were no longer starving．

　　The colours red, white and blue used on the flag represent the principles of the Revolution-liberty, equality and friendship．Red represents bravery, revolution, strength and blood．All these things were needed to change the country．Blue stands for liberty and justice while white represents peace．

　　Strengthened by the Revolution, France became a different country soon after, and today, it is still guided by those beliefs．That France's revolution which was successful in ridding society of inequality had a big effect on many other countries, especially in Europe．Some countries elected to substitute their flags with tricolor flags, after the French．In this way, the French Tricolor has become one of the most influential national flags in history．

　　The USA was also born from revolution, and its flag, the“Stars and Stripes”, represents this．The USA was originally an area owned and occupied by Britain．At that time, there were thirteen states, which is far fewer than the fifty that make up today's USA．Some people are very unhappy with the bureaucratic way Britain ruled the country, and were quite outspoken about this．American taxpayers could no longer tolerate that they had no say in the government．They desired independence, but the British opposed this．The Americans saw that their freedom was no longer optional and that their independence would not be won by being passive．On 4 July 1776, the American Declaration of Independence was signed．With this, the USA split from Britain and became an autonomous nation with a federal government．

　　The colours red, white and blue and the stars and stripes on the American flag are all very symbolic．Red represents strength and bravery; white represents purity and innocence; blue stands for hard work and justice．There are fifty stars on the American flag, one for each state．The thirteen stripes represent the original thirteen states that joined together to fight for independence．

　　Each year, on 4 July, the USA celebrates Independence Day when the Stars and Stripes“can be seen all over the country, lit by fireworks in the night sky．”