How did the spoils system affect President James Garfield and his successor Chester A. Arthur?
(its a short answer response)
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dude over 2 months l8er and i still have no clue 🤣🤣🤣
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The spoils system refers to the practice of appointing people to government positions based on political support rather than merit. During the presidency of James Garfield and his successor, Chester A. Arthur, the spoils system had a significant impact.
James Garfield became the 20th President of the United States in 1881. He was a critic of the spoils system and sought to reform the way government jobs were filled. However, his attempts to implement these reforms faced resistance from members of his own Republican Party who benefited from the spoils system.
Unfortunately, Garfield's presidency was cut short when he was assassinated just months after taking office. The assassin, Charles Guiteau, was a disgruntled office-seeker who believed he deserved a government position. This tragic event brought the issue of the spoils system to the forefront of public attention.
As Garfield's vice president, Chester A. Arthur succeeded him as President. Arthur had previously been a supporter of the spoils system, having served as the Collector of the Port of New York, a position obtained through political connections. However, the assassination of Garfield had a profound impact on Arthur, leading him to reevaluate his stance on the spoils system.
In response to the public outcry and pressure for reform, President Arthur pushed for legislation that would address the issues surrounding the spoils system. The Pendleton Act of 1883 was eventually passed, establishing a civil service system based on merit rather than political connections. This marked a significant step forward in reforming the appointment process and reducing corruption in government positions.
In summary, the spoils system affected both President James Garfield and his successor Chester A. Arthur. While Garfield aimed to reform the system, his presidency was tragically cut short. Arthur, influenced by Garfield's assassination, played a crucial role in passing legislation that reformed the appointment process and established the civil service system.
Here is the information you need for the essay question on "The Progressive Presidents" Quiz (Pearson Online)
"In 1881, James Garfield entered the White House and was soon swamped with office seekers. He thought that government jobs should be awarded on the basis of merit, or ability, not politics.
That July, however, a disappointed office seeker, Charles Guiteau (gee TOH), shot the President. Garfield died two months later. The assassination sparked new efforts to end the spoils system.
His rejection of the spoils system led to President James Garfield's assassination in 1881 at the age of 49.
Reform of Federal Jobs Vice President Chester A. Arthur succeeded Garfield. Arthur was a product of the spoils system. In fact, he was one of the New York customhouse officials dismissed by Hayes a few years earlier! Yet, as President, Arthur worked with Congress to reform the spoils system."
TL;DR
President Garfield was assassinated shortly after becoming president by a angered job seeker due to his efforts to abolish the spoils system (the system where presidential candidates would offer people supplies or government jobs as incentive to vote for them). his successor, Vice President Arthur, had gotten into politics through being a job seeker. Despite that, he continued the late President Garfield's efforts when he became president.
Remember to put this information in your own words if you want to avoid being accused of plagiarism! Good luck on your quiz!
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.