The passage of the Pendleton Act historically significant because it made the quality of someone's work the basis for hiring. <span>The </span>Pendleton<span> Civil Service Reform </span>Act<span> (ch. 27, 22 Stat. 403) is a United States federal law, enacted in 1883, which established that positions within the federal government should be awarded on the basis of merit instead of political affiliation.</span>
