Discuss the evolution of the federal bureaucracy, from the spoils ...

[vicky]

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?

Question 2

The Hatch Act prohibits federal employees from voting or engaging in other political activities.
 
  Indicate whether this statement is true or false.

[mceravolo]

Answer to Question 1

An ideal response will:
1, Explain that the spoils system involved hiring and firing of government employees on the basis of loyalty to the party in power. When new presidents were elected, bureaucrats could be favored and replaced by loyal party members.
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, in 1883, Congress passed the Pendleton Act into law, which created a federal commission to oversee hiring on the basis of merit rather than partisanship. This meant that the spoils system would be replaced with the civil service system.
5, Explain that the elimination of the spoils system was gradual rather than immediate.

Answer to Question 2

Answer: False