About this episode

This episode discusses the spoils system in federal government jobs and the subsequent push for civil service reform following the assassination of President Garfield.

It used to be that federal government jobs were awarded via a "spoils system," where political patronage and loyalty were the primary criteria for hiring and firing government employees. This system led to widespread corruption, incompetence, and inefficiency, as unqualified individuals often held positions due to their political connections rather than their abilities. The assassination of President James A. Garfield in 1881 by a disgruntled office-seeker who felt he was unfairly denied a position highlighted the flaws of the spoils system and fueled public demand for civil service reform. Head over to our Government That Doesn’t Suck YouTube channel to WATCH this episode: https://www.youtube.com/@GovernmentThatDoesntSuck If you’re new here, don’t forget to follow Government That Doesn’t Suck to never miss an episode! Government That Doesn’t Suck is a Rewind Original Podcast, powered by PAVE Studios Follow us on Social Instagram: @RewindStudios TikTok: @RewindStudios YouTube: @GovenmentThatDoesntSuck

People in this episode

Hosts: Government That Doesn’t Suck, Rewind Studios

Topics covered

• spoils system
• civil service reform
• government jobs
• corruption
• political patronage

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: PAVE Studios, YouTube

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