Discuss the evolution of the federal bureaucracy from the spoils system through the creation of the civil service system

What will be an ideal response?

Answer:
An ideal response will:
1. Explain that the spoils system was popularized by Andrew Jackson and involved hiring and firing of government employees on the basis of loyalty to the party in power.
2. Discuss problems associated with the spoils system, including high turnover in agency personnel and the fact that the bureaucrats hired under the spoils system often lacked expertise.
3. Identify the catalyst for abolishing the spoils system, which was the assassination of James Garfield in 1881 by a disgruntled office seeker.
4. Note that the Pendleton Act of 1883 created a federal commission to oversee hiring on the basis of merit rather than partisanship.
5. Explain that the elimination of the spoils system was gradual rather than immediate.