Spoils System vs. Merit System

           In the federal bureaucracy today, we follow the merit system. This system was introduced in 1881 after the assassination of President Garfield. Congress passed The Pendleton Act, which created a merit-based federal civil service. The purpose of this was to replace patronages from the spoils system and create federal employment based on an exam that 85-90% of federal employees take today. Before this system, Andrew Jackson followed the spoils system. This system gave the president power to clear out all government workers and replace them with people from their own party. During this time, Jackson thought this was a healthy way to prevent corruption. As the country expanded and the Civil War began, thousands of government jobs became available. This led to economic growth and more government agencies to regulate the system after the war.