AP US Government and Politics

Prediction

1. What do you think civil service means?

2. Use civil service in a sentence:

3. Find an example of civil service in current events:

4. Find an image of civil service:

Fun Fact

Definition

Civil Service: Federal employees who work for government through a competitive, not political selection process. The permanent professional branches of a government's administration, excluding military and judicial branches and elected politicians. U.S. state and local government entities often have competitive civil service systems that are modeled on the national system, in varying degrees. According to the Office of Personnel Management, as of December 2011, there were approximately 2.79 million civil servants employed by the U.S. government.

Sentence

In the 19th century U.S. civil service positions, through the spoils system, were filled based on party loyalty and political patronage.

Example

The Ugly History Behind Trump’s Attacks on Civil Servants

Image

Question(s)

1. What are some examples of jobs that are part of the U.S. civil service?

2. How does the current U.S. civil service differ from the U.S. civil service of the 19th century?

3. What act depoliticized the U.S. civil service?

4. Imagine the U.S. civil service reverted back to the spoils system. How would that change daily life in America?