What did the the colonists believe was the purpose of government (before the constitution?

polisit can also mean a body of citizens. in modern historiography, polis is normally used to indicate the ancient greek city-states, like classical athens and its contemporaries, and thus is often translated as "city-state". the body of citizens came to be the most important meaning of the term polis in ancient greece.

to replace ineffective because   andrew jackson's spoil system was a deliberate policy after he became president to remove federal employees he considered to be political opponents and replace them with his own supporters.