Editing National Mall (section)

===Protests and rallies===
{{further|List of rallies and protest marches in Washington, D.C.}}
[[File:View of Crowd at 1963 March on Washington.jpg|thumb|right|upright=1.1|1963 [[March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom]] on the National Mall facing east from the Lincoln Memorial]]

The National Mall's status as a vast, open expanse at the heart of the capital makes it an attractive site for protests and rallies of all types. One notable example was the 1963 [[March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom]], a [[Demonstration (people)|political rally]] during the [[Civil Rights Movement]], at which [[Martin Luther King Jr.]] delivered his speech "[[I Have a Dream]]".

The largest officially recorded rally was the [[Moratorium to End the War in Vietnam|Vietnam War Moratorium Rally]] on October 15, 1969. However, in 1995, the NPS issued a crowd estimate for the [[Million Man March]] with which an organizer of the event, [[Nation of Islam]] leader [[Louis Farrakhan]], disagreed.<ref name=Leef>{{cite news|last1=Smith|first1=Leef|last2=Melillo|first2=Wendy|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/politics/1996/10/13/if-its-crowd-size-you-want-park-service-says-count-it-out/0ec7dcf4-3206-48ee-b062-1459e4ddc28c/|title=If It's Crowd Size You Want, Park Service Says Count It Out; Congress Told Agency to Stop, Official Says|newspaper=[[The Washington Post]]|page=A.34|date=1996-10-13|access-date=2010-11-29}}</ref><ref name=Nukols>{{cite web|first=Ben|last=Nukols|url=http://bigstory.ap.org/article/7afad98b7d78423cbb5140fe810e3480/when-it-comes-inaugural-crowds-does-size-matter|title=Inaugural crowds sure to be huge _ but how huge?|access-date=2017-03-16|date=2017-01-18|work=The Big Story|agency=[[Associated Press]]|quote=IT STARTS WITH THE MILLION MAN MARCH ..... The agency still estimates crowd size for its own planning purposes, but does not publicly reveal the figures.<br />"No matter what we said or did, no one ever felt we gave a fair estimate," U.S. Park Police Maj. J.J. McLaughlin, who had been in charge of coordinating crowd estimates, said in 1996 when the agency confirmed it would no longer count heads.|archive-date=February 13, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170213034009/http://bigstory.ap.org/article/7afad98b7d78423cbb5140fe810e3480/when-it-comes-inaugural-crowds-does-size-matter|url-status=live}}</ref> The next year, a committee of the [[104th United States Congress]] provided no funds for NPS crowd-counting activities in Washington, D.C., when it prepared legislation making 1997 appropriations for the [[U.S. Department of the Interior]].<ref name=Leef/><ref>{{cite web |last=Regula |first=Ralph |url=http://frwebgate.access.gpo.gov/cgi-bin/getdoc.cgi?dbname=104_cong_reports&do |title=House of Representatives Report 104-625: Department of the Interior and Related Agencies Appropriations Bill, 1997, to accompany H.R. 3662 |page=28 |quote=The Committee has provided no funding for crowd counting activities associated with gatherings held on federal property in Washington, D.C. If event organizers wish to have an estimate on the number of people participating in their event, then those organizers should hire a private sector firm to conduct the count. |date=1996-06-18 |access-date=2010-11-30 }}{{dead link|date=March 2021}} Note: The Department of the Interior and Related Agencies Appropriations Bill, 1997 (H.R. 3662), was incorporated into the {{cite web |url=http://www.ustreas.gov/offices/enforcement/ofac/legal/statutes/pl104_208.pdf |title=Omnibus Consolidated Appropriations Act, 1997 (Public Law 104-208, Sept. 30, 1996) |access-date=December 1, 2010 |archive-date=May 27, 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100527214636/http://www.ustreas.gov/offices/enforcement/ofac/legal/statutes/pl104_208.pdf |url-status=live }}at 110 STAT. 3009-181.</ref>

As a result, the NPS has not provided any official crowd size estimates for Mall events since 1995.<ref name=Leef/><ref name=Nukols/><ref>Multiple sources:
* {{cite news |last=Goodier |first=Rob |url=http://www.popularmechanics.com/science/a7121/the-curious-science-of-counting-a-crowd/ |title=The Curious Science of Counting a Crowd |work=[[Popular Mechanics]] |date=2001-09-12 |quote=For its part, the National Park Service tries to stay above the fray by not estimating crowd sizes. It stopped providing head counts after the organizers of the 1995 Million Man March accused the service of underestimating their crowd. |url-status=live |access-date=August 26, 2016 |archive-date=September 5, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160905082431/http://www.popularmechanics.com/science/a7121/the-curious-science-of-counting-a-crowd/ }}
* {{cite news |first=Dave |last=McKenna |url=http://www.washingtoncitypaper.com/news/article/13036747/the-3-to-5-million-man-march |title=The 3 to 5 Million Man March: Crowd estimates could lead to post-swearing-in swearing, history shows |work=[[Washington City Paper]] |date=2009-01-16 |quote=Street hasn't been asked to come up with an official estimate for any D.C. event in a long while. And that 1991 manual is currently not used by his agency. Street and the Park Service, in fact, have been specifically barred by an act of Congress from divulging official crowd estimates—but only for D.C. gatherings. 'Ever since the Million Man March,' he says. 'That changed things.' |url-status=live |access-date=August 26, 2016 |archive-date=September 19, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160919032911/http://www.washingtoncitypaper.com/news/article/13036747/the-3-to-5-million-man-march }}</ref> The absence of such an official estimate fueled a political controversy following the presidential inauguration of [[Donald Trump]] in 2017 (see: [[First inauguration of Donald Trump#Crowd size|Inauguration of Donald Trump crowd size]]).<ref>Multiple sources:
* {{cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2017/01/21/us/politics/trump-white-house-briefing-inauguration-crowd-size.html |title=With False Claims, Trump Attacks Media on Turnout and Intelligence Rift |last1=Davis |first1=Julie Hirschfeld |last2=Rosenberg |first2=Matthew |work=[[The New York Times]] |date=2017-01-21 |access-date=2017-03-15 |url-status=live |archive-date=March 14, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170314181933/https://www.nytimes.com/2017/01/21/us/politics/trump-white-house-briefing-inauguration-crowd-size.html }}
* {{cite news |last1=Wallace |first1=Tim |last2=Parlapiano |first2=Alicia |title=Crowd Scientists Say Women's March in Washington Had 3 Times More People Than Trump's Inauguration |url=https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2017/01/22/us/politics/womens-march-trump-crowd-estimates.html |access-date=2017-03-14 |work=[[The New York Times]] |date=2017-01-22 |url-status=live |archive-date=March 13, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170313210125/https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2017/01/22/us/politics/womens-march-trump-crowd-estimates.html }}</ref>

On April 25, 2004, the [[March for Women's Lives]] filled the Mall.<ref>{{Cite news |title=Abortion activists on the march |date=2004-04-26 |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/3657527.stm |access-date=2009-06-08 |publisher=BBC |url-status=live |archive-date=September 24, 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090924041103/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/3657527.stm }}</ref> On January 27, 2007, tens of thousands of protesters [[Opposition to the Iraq War|opposed to the Iraq War]] converged on the Mall (see: [[January 27, 2007 anti-war protest]]), drawing comparisons by participants to the [[Vietnam War]] protest.<ref>Multiple sources:
* {{cite news|first=Ian|last=Urbina|title=Wide opposition to war energizes protests / Washington: Jane Fonda among celebrity protesters joining veterans, politicians in calling for end to war|newspaper=[[The New York Times]]|date=2007-01-28|url=http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=%2Fc%2Fa%2F2007%2F01%2F28%2FMNGASNQDO81.DTL|access-date=2007-01-28|via=[[San Francisco Chronicle#Web|SFGate]]|archive-date=February 19, 2007|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070219144357/http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=%2Fc%2Fa%2F2007%2F01%2F28%2FMNGASNQDO81.DTL|url-status=live}}
* {{cite news |first=Ian |last=Urbina |title=Protest Focuses on Iraq Troop Increase |newspaper=[[The New York Times]] |date=2007-01-28 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2007/01/28/washington/28protest.html?hp&ex=1170046800&en=defcbb536a8a2453&ei=5094&partner=homepage |access-date=2007-01-28 |url-status=live |archive-date=May 30, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130530095540/http://www.nytimes.com/2007/01/28/washington/28protest.html?hp&ex=1170046800&en=defcbb536a8a2453&ei=5094&partner=homepage }}
* {{cite news |first=Deborah |last=Charles |title=Tens of thousands demand U.S. get out of Iraq |newspaper=[[The Star (Malaysia)|The Star]] |date=2007-01-28 |url=http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=%2F2007%2F1%2F28%2Fworldupdates%2F2007-01-28T093422Z_01_NOOTR_RTRJONC_0_-285278-1&sec=Worldupdates |access-date=2007-01-28 |archive-date=December 11, 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081211160052/http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=%2F2007%2F1%2F28%2Fworldupdates%2F2007-01-28T093422Z_01_NOOTR_RTRJONC_0_-285278-1&sec=Worldupdates |url-status=live }}</ref>{{clear left}}

On June 12, 2018, the [[National Hockey League]]'s [[Washington Capitals]] staged a rally on the Mall after parading through the city to celebrate the franchise's first [[Stanley Cup]] [[2018 Stanley Cup Finals|championship victory]]. Tens of thousands of fans reportedly joined the beer-soaked event.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Boren |first1=Cindy |last2=Allen |first2=Scott |last3=Larimer |first3=Sara |title=Capitals' Stanley Cup parade: Ovechkin's speech brings the celebration to a wild end |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/capitals-insider/wp/2018/06/12/capitals-stanley-cup-victory-parade/?noredirect=on |newspaper=[[The Washington Post]] |access-date=2018-09-09 |date=2018-06-12 |archive-date=September 10, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180910060929/https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/capitals-insider/wp/2018/06/12/capitals-stanley-cup-victory-parade/?noredirect=on |url-status=live }}</ref>