Answer:
Political machines, in the form of political parties, and political candidates, offered people housing, jobs and protection to city dwellers in exchange for their support, with votes, in elections, not just for a specific candidate, but also for their parties and the policies proposed by that party.
Step-by-step explanation:
After the Industrial Revolution, and especially during the 19th and 20th centuries, a large wave of urbanization led people from the rural areas into cities, in search of job opportunities and a new life. Also, because Europe was devastated by conflicts, a great number of them immigrated into the United States, especially the cities in the East Coast, in search of a new chance. This also happened with immigration from the Mexican-American border, which was crossed by many workers and migrants to seek job opportunities in the U.S. This massive phenomenon caused huge problems for urban places, as they had difficulties keeping up with the job and housing offers. Political machines saw this and capitalized on the need of people by offering them policies and measures that would ensure more availability of these necessities, in exchange for their support.