The Spoils System

     Following his election in 1828, Andrew Jackson began to change the way government agencies were run.  Since George Washington's Presidency, the Preaident was responsible for appointing  officials to various jobs.  The President appoints federal judges, attorneys, tax collectors, postmasters, custom officers, and many other positions.  When Andrew Jackson became President there were some government officials that had held their position since Thomas Jefferson was elected.

     Jackson saw this lack of government turnover as a sign of corruption.  He believed that new people should have the opportunity to serve.  During his first term, Jackson replaced 900 government officials, roughly 10% of the Federal Government.  The six Presidents before Jackson typically replaced 9 government officials during their terms, Jackson's moves shocked many in Washington. Many  of his new appointments were members of the newly formed Democratic Party, a fact that did not escape his critics.
   
     Jackson's enemies saw these appointments as a threat to liberty, and claimed the President was acting like a conquerer.   They called these appointments "The Spoils System", taken from an old military saying, "to the victor goes the spoils". While his critics looked down on his actions, many later Presidents would follow Jackson's example by appointing loyal party members to government jobs after being elected.

     In 1831, Jackson formed an unofficial group of advisors that met at the White House to assist the President with policy making.  This group included two editors of a pro-Jackson newspaper, his nephew, his business partner from Tennessee, and a political ally from upstate New York. These men were given access to the President and the White House that alarmed members of the President's Cabinet as well as members of Congress. His enemies described this group as the "kitchen cabinet" to highlight how they were not officially appointed  by Congress to advise Jackson.

    Both the "spoils system" and the "kitchen cabinet" became two terms forever linked with the Jackson Presidency.  To his critics these were signs that he acted more like a king than a President, to his supporters these were just signs that he was changing the office of President for the better.