The Pendleton Civil Service Reform Act, which President Chester Arthur signed on January 16, 1883, was the first significant legislative attempt to put an end to the patronage, or spoils, system - which rewarded political friends and supporters with governmental positions, regardless of their real merit and skills to occupy those positions. The patronage system had increased exponentially following the Civil War, and President James A. Garfield had been assessinated by a dissatisfied job hunter, hence the need for such a piece of legislation. This act, which is still in effect, did correct the problems of patronage, although not immediately, by creating a merit system of federal employment that entailed completing a competitive test and prohibiting both the support of political campaigns by federal employees and the dismissal or harassment of civil servants based on their political beliefs. Thousands of new federal jobs were eventually created as a result of this act, and, nowadays, the majority of federal employees are protected by it.
