Know all men by these presents, that we, Clara Barton, Julian B. Hubbell, Stephen E. Barton, Peter V. DeGraw and George Kennan, all being persons of full age, citizens of the United States, and a majority residents of the District of Columbia, being desirous of forming an association to carry on the benevolent and humane work of "The Red Cross" in accordance with the Articles of the International Treaty of Geneva, Switzerland, entered into on the twenty-second day of August, 1864, and adopted by the Government of the United States on the first day of March, 1882, and also in accordance with the broader scope given to the humane work of said treaty by "The American Association of the Red Cross," and known as "The American Amendment," whereby the suffering incident to great floods, famines, epidemics, conflagrations, cyclones, or other disasters of national magnitude, may be ameliorated by the administering of necessary relief; and being desirous of continuing the noble work heretofore performed by "The American Association of the Red Cross," incorporated in the District of Columbia for the purpose of securing the adoption of the said Treaty of Geneva by the United States, for benevolent and charitable purposes, and to co-operate with the Comite International de Secours aux Militaires Blesses. Now, therefore, for the purpose of creating ourselves, our associates and successors, a body politic and corporate in name and in fact, we do hereby associate ourselves together under and by virtue of sections 545, 546, 547, 548, 549 and 550 of the Revised Statutes of the United States relating to the District of Columbia, as amended and in force at this time; and do make, sign and acknowledge this Certificate of Incorporation, as follows, to wit: _First._--The name by which this association shall be known in law is: "The American National Red Cross." _Second._--The principal office of the association shall be in the City of Washington, District of Columbia. _Third._--The term of its existence shall be fifty years from the date of this certificate. _Fourth._--The objects of this association shall be, in addition to the purposes set forth in the above preamble, as follows, to wit: 1. To garner the store materials, articles, supplies, moneys, or property of whatsoever name or nature, and to maintain a system of national relief and administer the same in the mitigation of human suffering incident to war, pestilence, famine, flood, or other calamities. 2. To hold itself in readiness for communicating and co-operating with the Government of the United States, or any Department thereof, or with the "Comite International de Secours aux Militaires Blesses," of Geneva, Switzerland, to the end that the merciful provisions of the said "International Treaty of Geneva" may be more wisely and effectually carried out.