ABSTRACT
The development of the public service in the United States reflects changing concerns of the society as a whole. Issues addressed in the personnel system reflect many of the shifts in social, economic and political values. To understand the dynamics of the creation of the United States personnel system and subsequent reforms and their effects for modern public personnel management, it is necessary to understand the basic ideals which underpin public personnel policy making. Therefore, the public service as it evolved from the beginnings of our federal system of government will be examined.
