The Siege at Yorktown effectively ended the Revolutionary War due to what outcome?

• A. British surrender effectively ending the Revolutionary War.
• B. Continued fighting for five more years.
• C. Treaty of Paris signed the next day.
• D. French armies withdrew.

Answer: (A)

When a siege ends with the enemy surrender, it often signals that sustained fighting is not going to lead to victory and pushes the war toward peace. At Yorktown, General Cornwallis’s surrender showed that British forces in America could not win the conflict, breaking the momentum for continued war. This turn of events opened the door to negotiations and ultimately led to the Treaty of Paris in 1783, which formally recognized American independence. The other statements don’t fit because fighting did not continue for years after Yorktown, there wasn’t a treaty signed the next day, and the French role mattered for the victory rather than being a reason to withdraw.