Black Hand Charter

Unification or Death

I. Purpose and Name

Article 1. For the purpose of realising the national ideals - the

Unification of Serbdom - an organization is hereby created, whose

members may be any Serbian irrespective of sex, religion, place or

birth, as well as anybody else who will sincerely serve this idea.

Article 2. The organisation gives priority to the revolutionary struggle rather than relies on cultural striving, therefore its institution is as absolutely secret one for wider circles.

Article 3. The organization bears the name: "Ujedinjenje ili Smrt".

Article 4. In order to carry into effect its task the organization will

do the following things:

(1) Following the character of its raison d etre it will exercise its

influence over all the official factors in Serbia - which is the Piemont

of Serbdom - as also over all the strata of the State and over the

entire social life in it:

(2) It will carry out a revolutionary organisation in all the

territories where Serbians are living:

(3) Beyond the frontiers, it will fight with all means against all

enemies of this idea:

(4) It will maintain friendly relations with all the States, nations,

organisations, and individual persons who sympathise with Serbia

and the Serbian race:

(5) It will give every assistance to those nations and organisations

who are fighting for their own national liberation and unification

Article 7. The Supreme Central Directorate shall include, in addition to the members from the Kingdom of Serbia, one accredited delegate from

each of the organisations of all the Serbian regions: (1) Bosnia and

Herzegovina, (2) Montenegro, (3) Old Serbia and Macedonia, (4) Croatia,

Slovenia and Symria (Srem), (5) Voyvodina, (6) Sea-coasts.

Article 35. On entering into the organisation the joining member must

pronounce the following oath of allegiance:

"I (the Christian name and surname of the joining member), by entering

into the organisation "Unification or Death", do hereby swear by the Sun

which shineth upon me, by the Earth which feedeth me, by God, by the

blood of my forefathers, by my honour and by my life, that from this

moment onward and until my death, I shall faithfully serve the task of

this organisation and that I shall at all times be prepared to bear for

it any sacrifice. I further swear by God, by my honour and by my life,

that I shall unconditionally carry into effect all its orders and

commands. I further swear by my God, by my honour and by my life, that I

shall keep within myself all the secrets of this organisation and carry

them with me into my grave. May God and my comrades in this organisation

be my judges if at any time I should wittingly fail or break this oath!"

AFTER READING EACH ARTICLE, SUMMARIZE THEM IN YOUR OWN WORDS. TRY TO ASK YOURSELF THE FOLLOWING QUESTIONS;

WHAT DO THEY WANT?        

WHO ARE THEY?        

HOW DO THEY PLAN TO ACHIEVE THEIR GOALS ?

WHAT IS THEIR MOTIVATION?