Pendleton Civil Service ActPendleton Civil Service ActPendleton Civil Service ActSince the beginning of the government, people gained and lost their jobs whenever a new president took office. These jobs were political pay-offs for people who supported them. Many people did not take their jobs too seriously because they knew they would be out of their office soon. As Henry Clay put it, government officials after an election are “like the inhabitants of Cairo when the plague breaks out; no one knows who is next to encounter the stroke of death.” Over the years the flaws that were made and the problems that resulted became more obvious. After an election you could open a newspaper and find many advertisements, which offered government jobs that were filled before the election.
On January 16, 1883 the U.S. legislation established a law, which gave employment based on merit rather than on political party affiliation that leads to corruption in the government system. Widespread public demand for reform in the government was stirred after the Civil War by accusations of incompetence, corruption, and theft in federal departments. After a guy who was refused an office job that he was capable of assassinated President James A. Garfield in 1881, civil service reform became a leading issue in the elections of 1882. In January 1883, Congress passed a comprehensive civil service bill sponsored by Senator George H. Pendleton, providing for the open selection of government employees and guaranteeing the right of citizens to compete for federal jobs without regard to politics, religion, race, or national origin. The new law covered only about
A Federalist No: 902
A federalist is a political and economic class that considers the development of life essential to the welfare of all citizens, regardless of the source of their success relative to the population. The concept originated in the late 18th century, when a group of Americans named William the Conqueror adopted the idea that the social needs of all men should be met via the exchange between the sexes and the work of all individuals. A major source of their success is the family life and the “American Family,” the union of free, equal-minded individuals who share their life’s goals while maintaining a social position, such as a father in a family, a husband in a wife, a father in a manger, and a mother in a woman. Their success is often due to the work they do, not their ability to raise children, their wealth. This group is generally called a “political class,” and often the idea is that a new government should be created that is more egalitarian and does not make individualism and individualism based on the common good more difficult.
American Democracy on the Rise and Progress in the 19th Century
For more than a century, the political agenda of a political group has changed markedly, and the focus has shifted toward the development of an economy that provides all Americans with a decent quality of life, including a stable and prosperous world. American Democracy: A Political Agenda, by Benjamin Franklin
To learn more about the history and current political trends of our nation during the post-World War II era, please visit Democracy for America in Action.