The document discusses the history and development of the US civil service system. It begins with presidents in the early 1800s appointing members of their own political party to federal posts. This practice of political patronage, or the "spoils system", led to many incompetent appointments and was reformed with the Pendleton Act of 1883 after President Garfield's assassination by a disappointed office seeker. The Act established merit-based hiring and protections against dismissal for political reasons. Today, the civil service system is governed by the Office of Personnel Management and employs over 2 million people across the country in a competitive, merit-based system.

1. Section 5
Civil Service

2. Development of Civil Service
• The Beginnings:
• Washington and Adams appointed men from
their own party (Federalist)
• When Jefferson took office, he found most
federal posts were filled by men that opposed
his political view
• Jefferson then dismissed several hundred
Federalists and replaced them with
Democratic-Republicans

3. • Spoils system:
• Made famous by Andrew Jackson (but
Jefferson laid the foundation for it)
• Jackson saw this as a way to build and hold
power
• Problem was that many positions were filled
by incompetent and/or corrupt people

4. • Movement to Reform:
• People pressed for reforms
• Assisted by Civil Service Commission in 1871
• Soon died away because Congress did not
have enough money to support it
• Tragedy brought about most fundamental
changes:
–President Garfield was fatally shot by
Charles Guiteau, a disappointed office
seeker. Garfield rejected the mentally
unstable Guiteau

5. Civil Service
• Composed of civilian people who perform
administrative work of the government
• 2.7 million me and women work for the Fed
Government
• 300,000 of them work in Washington area
• Rest are jobs done throughout the country
• President appoints the people who hold the
highest jobs—about 2,500

6. Civil Service Cont.
• Congress, pushed hard by Chester Author
(Garfield’s successor) passed the Pendleton
Act—Civil Service Act of 1883
• Pendleton Act:
• Laid foundation for current Civil Service
• Main purpose was to make merit the basis for
hiring and promotion of jobs

7. Civil Service Today
• Today most federal employees are hired
through a competitive process
• They are paid and promoted on the basis of
written evaluations by superiors
• Generally protected of being dismissed
because of partisan reasons

8. Office of Personal Management
• Created in 1978, it is an independent agency
in the executive branch
• OPM is headed by a single director appointed
by President and Senate
• Sometimes described as the clearinghouse for
recruiting, hiring and promoting
• It advertises for employees, keeps registers
and lists of those applicants who pass
examinations for jobs

9. Pay and Benefits
• Congress sets pay and other job conditions for
those that work in Federal Govt. except
employees of Postal Service

10. Political Activities
• Several laws and regulations place restrictions
on political activities of federal civil servants
• Most of these laws/regulations deal with
voting and elections
• Employees of Civil Service can run for
local/regional offices, vote in elections and
contribute money and campaign funds to
candidates of various political backgrounds