36 USC § 21702 - Purposes

---
identifier: "/us/usc/t36/s21702"
source: "usc"
legal_status: "official_legal_evidence"
title: "36 USC § 21702 - Purposes"
title_number: 36
title_name: "PATRIOTIC AND NATIONAL OBSERVANCES, CEREMONIES, AND ORGANIZATIONS"
section_number: "21702"
section_name: "Purposes"
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.)"
---


# § 21702. Purposes

The purposes of the corporation are—

**(1)** to uphold and defend the Constitution of the United States;

**(2)** to promote peace and good will among the peoples of the United States and all the nations of the Earth;

**(3)** to preserve the memories and incidents of the 2 World Wars and the other great hostilities fought to uphold democracy;

**(4)** to cement the ties and comradeship born of service; and

**(5)** to consecrate the efforts of its members to mutual helpfulness and service to their country.

---

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

| RevisedSection | Source (U.S. Code) | Source (Statutes at Large) |
| --- | --- | --- |
| 21702 | 36:43. | Sept. 16, 1919, ch. 59, § 3, 41 Stat. 285; Oct. 29, 1942, ch. 633, § 1, 56 Stat. 1012; July 26, 1955, ch. 386, § 1, 69 Stat. 379; Sept. 1, 1966, Pub. L. 89–550, § 1, 80 Stat. 371. |

In clause (1), the words “of America” are omitted.