Public Civil Service System
The Past 100 Years
The Evolution of Public Service
The public civil service system began as a spoils system with no consideration to competence and evolved into the merit based system. During this period the tasks to be performed have changed from clerical issues to a multitude of responsibilities.
The selection process involved with these duties has changed from relying on individuals with the appropriate social status to hiring individuals based on skill and ability through the passage of the Pendelton Act.
The Intergovernment Personnel Act of 1970, signed by President Richard M. Nixonon 5 January 1971, relocated the supervision of grant-in-aid employees within the U.S. Civil Service Commission
When Congress passed the Classification Act of 1923, it was responding to pressures for standardized wages as well as efficiency in government