The Civil Service

Dylan, Matt, Colleen, TaylorMr. Stroman

4/17/12

The civil service is composed of civilian

employees who perform administrative work for the government

Specifically all appointive positions in the executive, judicial, and legislative branches of the Government of the United States, except positions in the uniformed services.

What is the Civil Service?

Beginning with George

Washington each President would mainly appoint those in their parties to office

With each following changes in administration all of the opposing parties officers and fill each office with members of their own party

Beginnings

In 1829 Andrew Jackson

became known as the father of the spoils system when he dismissed over 200 presidential appointees and nearly 2,000 other officeholders

The spoils system is known as the practice of giving offices and other favors of government to political supporters and friends

Spoils System

With so many personal favors

circulating through politics, corruption was commonplace

Attempts were made with the creation of the Civil Service Commission which soon failed

Finally after the murder of President James Garfield Congress passed the Pendleton Act-the Civil Service Act of 1883

Movement to Reform

The main purpose was to

make merit the basis for hiring, promotion, and other personnel actions in the federal work force

By the end of Theodore Roosevelt’s term in 1909 nearly two thirds of the federal work force was covered by the umbrella

Today, nearly 90 percent of all in executive branch agencies are covered by the merit system

The Pendleton Act

After the elimination of the spoils system, the

new goal became keeping the best available people in the federal work force

The OPM was created in 1978 which works as the central clearinghouse in the federal recruiting, examining, and hiring process

When there is a job opening in an agency the OPM sends the names of the top three persons on its register

Office of Personnel Management

The OPM has passed a number of laws since

its beginning One, the Hatch Act of 1939 which allowed

federal workers to vote in elections, but forbade them to take part in partisan political activities

Two, the new Hatch Act of 1993 gave workers the right to vote help register new voters, contribute money to candidates and parties, participate in campaigns and even hold office in a political party.

Political Activities