VISUAL ACTIVITY Civil Service Exams In this 1890 photograph, prospective police officers in Chicago take the written civil service exam. With the rise of a written exam, issues of class and status meant that many men, particularly immigrants and their sons, needed education and not simply connections to make the grade. © Chicago History Museum, USA/The Bridgeman Art Library READING THE IMAGE: What types of people are sitting for the civil service exam? Would you expect to see women or people of color? CONNECTIONS: Who pressed for civil service reform, and what were the repercussions for those who held government positions?