The correct answer to this open question is the following.
The Roman conquest in Europe and the Mediterranean influenced the culture of those regions in that many parts of the Mediterranean region came to share the Latin language and the Roman customs and traditions. Through the Punic Wars, the Roman Empire extended to the south of Europe, the Mediterranean region and Carthage. Then, the Empire extended to the East, spreading its culture, art, and architecture in all of those regions.
The primary way in which the government encouraged settlement in the west was through the Homestead Act, which gave people free land--while the railroads allowed them to travel there safely.
