Spoils system is the practice of giving public offices as political rewards for party services. The system is used in many countries. When a new political party comes to power, its leaders place many of their faithful followers in government offices. Many people consider this justifiable when a party places able persons in high offices where policy is to be made. They feel the victorious party must shape policies to satisfy its supporters. But many people feel the practice is unjustifiable when leaders dismiss able persons from positions that are not of a policymaking type to make room for others whose chief or only merit consists of their having demonstrated their strong support of the party.
It was once widely thought that the spoils system in the United States first came into general use during the presidency of Andrew Jackson. Recent studies show that President Thomas Jefferson, a Democratic-Republican, followed a policy of not appointing Federalists to government offices. However, Jackson’s friend, Senator William L. Marcy of New York, popularized the slogan “to the victor belong the spoils of the enemy.”
By 1840, the spoils system was widely used in federal, state, and local governments. In 1883, a civil service law made it illegal to fill some federal offices by the spoils system. Since then, federal civil service legislation has been greatly expanded. Many cities and states also have made education and experience the basis of appointment to public office. In a series of three decisions—in 1976, 1980, and 1990—the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that low-level government workers may not be hired, promoted, transferred, or fired based on their support or nonsupport of a political party.
See also Civil service (State and local civil service); Grant, Ulysses S. (Political corruption); Jackson, Andrew (The spoils system); Patronage.
