The correct answer to this open question is the following.
I think the inventions of the early Sumerians (Cuneiform, the wheel, ships that can make sea crossings) impacted Mesopotamian Culture in that these factors made Sumeria a powerful region that influenced other ancient civilizations such as the Babylons. Let's have in mind that Sumeria-Mesopotamia was the oldest civilization known to man. They settled in the middle of the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers in the Middle East region(modern-day Iraq). They developed agriculture techniques that allowed them to grow crops in the fertile land of the banks of these rivers. They prospered and founded great city-states such as Ur, Lagash, Ur, Nippur, Eridu, and Kish.
There are several ways in which the U.S. increased western settlement in the 1800's, but by far the most important action was the creation of the Homestead Act.
