The “spoils system” of the 19th century filled the government with party loyalists and increased corruption across the country, until a popular political movement created appetite for reform.

The U.S. is witnessing in these last couple of weeks with the firings of civil servants is an attempt to return to the old spoils system begun under Andrew Jackson in which workers were hired and ...

How is what Trump’s doing different than the spoils system? WOLF: I’m interested in the differences, because I do think that Trump sees himself as this kind of Jacksonian figure, to the extent ...

The peak of the spoils system came under James Buchanan, who served from 1857 to 1861. He replaced virtually every federal worker at the end of their “rotation.” ...