 
the capital of the united states is the city of washington, lying in the 
federal district of columbia, a 69 square-mile piece of territory that does 
not belong to any state. 
it is a beautiful city with hundreds of pleasant parks, stately monuments 
to our great heroes, and handsome buildings. 
the architecture of many of the government offices is in the greek-roman 
style with white marble columns. 
the important decisions for governing more than 215 million americans are 
made in washington, d.c. . 
rising above the washington skyline in majestic dignity stands the 
gigantic capitol building. 
perched on top of its great central dome there is a bronze statue of a 
lady named freedom. 
inside, the walls are covered with colorful paintings that tell the 
history of the united states. 
the hallways are crammed with statues and portraits of famous americans. 
a much-photographed building, the capitol is one of the most popular 
tourist attractions in the nation. 
this is where congress sits to argue out the laws of the land. 
let us see how this happens. 
if someone belongs to a small club, he personally attends the meetings and 
votes on all matters directly. 
we call this direct democracy because the people themselves vote on 
matters. 
but this practice would not work for a huge national government such as 
that of the united states. 
it is impossible to bring millions of people together to argue over every 
bill. 
therefore, the voters elect officials to represent (speak for) them in 
congress. 
this is why our government is called a representative democracy. 
