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The Pendleton Act moderated the spoils system

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The Pendleton Act moderated the spoils system.

The Pendleton Act, or Pendleton Civil Service Reform Act, was passed in 1883 to moderate the spoils system. It evaluated government jobs and gave them to individuals based on merit. Before this, Presidents could freely select political backers who supported them and replace their enemies in other parties in important jobs, such as Supreme Court Justices, etc.