ABSTRACT

Even before the ratification of the U.S. Constitution, many colonial leaders viewed public service as a calling. They had a moral obligation to serve their communities, their colonies, and then their new nation. Most did not see public service as an avenue to upward mobility or to enhance their financial well-being. President George Washington, for instance, made fitness of character a requirement for individuals seeking appointments to positions with his administration. By the late 1820s, the rise of political parties and the spread of the “spoils system” led to a catastrophic collapse in public integrity in the United States. Political loyalty replaced competence as the primary qualification for public service. The ascendency of the “spoils system” could not have come at a worse time. After the Civil War, the demand for government services exploded particularly in large cities. Those seeking government contracts found themselves forced to pay huge kickbacks to political machines. Widespread public corruption drove up the cost of government and destroyed public trust in government institutions. By the 1870s, the spoils system had become so entrenched that it appeared nearly impossible to challenge. To many civic-minded Americans, the situation appeared hopeless.