Prior to the Pendleton Act of 1883, the spoils system dominated the federal government hiring process. The spoils system was based on the idea that to the victor go the spoils, meaning that the political party in power could distribute government jobs to its own members and supporters. When a new president took office, thousands of federal employees would be removed and replaced with ... https://lawforeverything.com/the-pendleton-civil-service-act-of-1883/