How did the spoils system affect President James Garfield and his successor Chester A. Arthur?
(essay btw)
To write an essay on how the spoils system affected President James Garfield and his successor Chester A. Arthur, you can follow these steps:
1. Introduction:
- Start by providing a brief overview of the spoils system and its significance during the late 19th century in American politics.
- State the purpose of the essay, which is to explore the effects of the spoils system on President James Garfield and his successor, Chester A. Arthur.
2. Background on James Garfield:
- Begin by discussing James Garfield and his rise to the presidency.
- Highlight his background, achievements, and political beliefs.
3. Impact of the spoils system on James Garfield:
- Explain how the spoils system influenced Garfield's presidency.
- Discuss his attempts to reform the spoils system and his appointment of qualified individuals to positions of power.
- Highlight any challenges or opposition Garfield faced from those who benefited from the spoils system.
4. Assassination of James Garfield:
- Outline the events leading to Garfield's assassination by Charles J. Guiteau, a disappointed political office-seeker who believed he was owed a position.
- Examine how the spoils system indirectly played a role in Garfield's assassination, as it created a culture of entitlement and resentment among potential appointees.
5. Ascendancy of Chester A. Arthur:
- Transition into discussing Chester A. Arthur's ascent to the presidency following Garfield's assassination.
- Describe Arthur's background and his initial association with machine politics.
6. Evolution of Arthur's stance on the spoils system:
- Analyze the evolution of Chester A. Arthur's perspective on the spoils system due to the tragedy of Garfield's assassination.
- Examine how Arthur distanced himself from the spoils system and sought to enact civil service reforms.
7. The Pendleton Civil Service Reform Act:
- Explore the passage and significance of the Pendleton Act during Arthur's presidency.
- Discuss how this act strove to eliminate corruption and create a merit-based civil service system.
8. Conclusion:
- Summarize the main points discussed throughout the essay, emphasizing the impact of the spoils system on both Garfield and Arthur.
- Highlight the lasting effects of Garfield's assassination and Arthur's pursuit of civil service reforms on American politics.
- Conclude by reflecting on the broader implications of the spoils system on the functioning of government and the need for principled leadership and reform.
Remember to utilize credible sources, cite your references, and adhere to proper essay structure and formatting when writing your essay. Good luck!
The failure of the spoils system brought on tragic consequences when in 1881 a frustrated office-seeker shot President James Garfield (1881) in a train station. Garfield's successor, Chester Arthur (1881–1885), though himself a creature of the spoils system, worked to dismantle it. The Pendleton Act of 1883 initiated reform of the system by establishing a federal Civil Service Commission and creating a class of government workers (14,000 out of a total of 100,000) who now had to take an examination to be awarded a government job. Though limited in size, the Civil Service Commission grew in later years.
The system was further refined in the twentieth century. To further separate civil service from politics, the Hatch Act (1940) forbid civil servants from political campaigning. The Hatch Act was revised in 1993 to allow most civil servants to participate in political activity on their personal time. Measures like the Civil Service Commission and the Hatch Act have been successful in limiting the use of the spoils system in the political process, but they haven't eradicated the practice. The spoils system is still (unofficially) practiced in some federal, state, and local government offices.
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