Which battle effectively ended the American Revolutionary War?

Which battle effectively ended the American Revolutionary War?

• A. Battle of Yorktown
• B. Battle of Saratoga
• C. Battle of Bunker Hill
• D. Battle of Lexington and Concord

Answer: (A)

A decisive victory that ends the fighting and pushes for peace is what this question highlights. Yorktown fits that idea perfectly: American and French forces cornered Cornwallis on the Yorktown peninsula, and his surrender in 1781 effectively halted major military operations. That defeat made it clear to Britain that the colonies had won, so negotiations began that led to the Treaty of Paris in 1783. The other battles were important stepping stones. Saratoga was a turning point because it secured the crucial French alliance that made victory possible, but it didn’t end the war by itself. Bunker Hill showed American resolve early on, and Lexington and Concord were the first battles that started the conflict, not its conclusion.

A decisive victory that ends the fighting and pushes for peace is what this question highlights. Yorktown fits that idea perfectly: American and French forces cornered Cornwallis on the Yorktown peninsula, and his surrender in 1781 effectively halted major military operations. That defeat made it clear to Britain that the colonies had won, so negotiations began that led to the Treaty of Paris in 1783.

The other battles were important stepping stones. Saratoga was a turning point because it secured the crucial French alliance that made victory possible, but it didn’t end the war by itself. Bunker Hill showed American resolve early on, and Lexington and Concord were the first battles that started the conflict, not its conclusion.