A group of students who won a nationwide patriotic essay contest stopped at the Jefferson Memorial during a trip to Washington D.C. and became so filled with patriotic pride that they spontaneously burst into singing the National Anthem. Before they got to the last stanza, however, they were stopped by a National Park Service ranger. According to a federal regulation, any time a group of 26 people or more gathers at a national monument and attracts an audience, it is considered a demonstration, which requires a permit. Jefferson would have had something to say about the matter.

†