36 USC § 21701 - Organization

---
identifier: "/us/usc/t36/s21701"
source: "usc"
legal_status: "official_legal_evidence"
title: "36 USC § 21701 - Organization"
title_number: 36
title_name: "PATRIOTIC AND NATIONAL OBSERVANCES, CEREMONIES, AND ORGANIZATIONS"
section_number: "21701"
section_name: "Organization"
chapter_number: 217
chapter_name: "THE AMERICAN LEGION"
part_number: "B"
part_name: "Organizations"
positive_law: true
currency: "119-84"
last_updated: "2026-04-17"
format_version: "1.1.0"
generator: "[email protected]"
source_credit: "(Pub. L. 105–225, Aug. 12, 1998, 112 Stat. 1297.)"
---


# § 21701. Organization

**(a)** **Federal Charter.—** The American Legion (in this chapter, the “corporation”) is a federally chartered corporation.

**(b)** **Perpetual Existence.—** Except as otherwise provided, the corporation has perpetual existence.

---

**Source Credit**: (Pub. L. 105–225, Aug. 12, 1998, 112 Stat. 1297.)

| RevisedSection | Source (U.S. Code) | Source (Statutes at Large) |
| --- | --- | --- |
| 21701(a) | 36:41. | Sept. 16, 1919, ch. 59, §§ 1, 2, 41 Stat. 284. |
|  | 36:42. |  |
| 21701(b) | 36:44 (words before 4th semicolon related to perpetual succession). | Sept. 16, 1919, ch. 59, § 4 (words before 4th semicolon related to perpetual succession), 41 Stat. 285; June 26, 1953, ch. 153, § 1, 67 Stat. 82. |

This section is substituted for the source provisions for consistency in the revised title and to eliminate unnecessary and obsolete language.