what system did the pendleton act of 1883 create?
Approved on January 16, 1883, the Pendleton Act established a merit-based system of selecting government officials and supervising their work.Following the assassination of President James A. Garfield by a disgruntled job seeker, Congress passed the Pendleton Act in January of 1883.The act was steered through Congress by long-time reformer Senator George Hunt Pendleton of Ohio.he Pendleton Act provided that Federal Government jobs be awarded on the basis of merit and that Government employees be selected through competitive exams. The act also made it unlawful to fire or demote for political reasons employees who were covered by the law.