The merit system is a system where it hires government employees based on their ability to perform. The soils system hires government based on people who know others in the government and their supporters. Obviously the two are very different. The spoils system was a lot more common back when George Washington was president. In the article it states that "most of Washington's employees belonged to the Federalist party" which is the party Washington tended to lean more towards. Washington started the tradition of the spoils system for a long time to come. Andrew Jackson, however, was the turning point when the systems switched. He basically got rid of the spoils system and inherited the merit system which is still in use in today's government. He made his cabinet not full of people who have been in government for a while. Instead he brought a new group of people into his cabinet. The spoils system is effecting government today but only at a small percent. About 3% of the government still is involved with it today. Most jobs come from private institutions competing alongside the federal government.
http://www.u-s-history.com/pages/h965.html
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