A vow never to reveal any Mafia secrets or members under the threat of torture or death.

Always help out fellow Mafia members.

Avenge attacks on members of the family, because every sheep is part of our flock.

In the 19th century the Mafia grew into a large criminal society. Creating the Mafia's own forms of authority. The Mafia began to extort many people by handing out Black Hand notes, which been around since the 1700s. They hand out black notes to people requesting money in return for protection. The only people that these victims needed protection against were the same criminals who handed them these notes. Victims had to give the money up or else their families would be victims of violence, kidnapping, bombings, and murder.

Some common words found in the essay are:
Sicily Sicilians, Jimmy Hoffa, Palizzolo Notarbartolo's, Las Vegas, Orleans Dons, Harrison Congress, Black Hand, War II, Black Handers, David Hennessy, legitimate businesses, mafia organization, opportunity mafia, las vegas,
Approximate Word count = 1222
Approximate Pages = 5 (250 words per page double spaced)