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Difficulty: MediumThe Revolutionary War: Military and Diplomacy

“In any operation, and under all circumstances, a decisive naval superiority is to be considered as a fundamental principle, and the basis upon which every hope of success must ultimately depend.”
—General Rochambeau to General George Washington, 1780

The strategic principle outlined in the excerpt most directly contributed to which of the following military outcomes?

  1. A
    The American victory at Saratoga, which secured the formal alliance with France
  2. B
    The ratification of the Constitution, which centralized the authority to fund a national navy
  3. The encirclement and surrender of British forces at YorktownAnswer
  4. D
    The creation of a powerful American navy that defeated the British fleet in the Battle of Long Island

Answer

The encirclement and surrender of British forces at Yorktown
The strategic insistence on naval superiority culminated in the Battle of the Chesapeake, where the French navy defeated the British fleet. This naval blockade prevented General Cornwallis from escaping by sea or receiving reinforcements, enabling Washington and Rochambeau's joint forces to besiege and defeat the British at Yorktown.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Analyze the stimulus to identify the main argument and the historical context.
General Rochambeau is writing in 1780, emphasizing that 'decisive naval superiority' is the fundamental requirement for military success in the war.
This establishes that the question is looking for a military outcome where naval superiority was the key factor.
2
Recall the major military campaigns of the Revolutionary War that occurred after 1780 and involved French naval coordination.
The Battle of the Chesapeake in 1781 established French naval superiority, which trapped General Cornwallis's army at Yorktown.
This links the strategic principle of naval superiority directly to the siege and victory at Yorktown.
3
Evaluate the options to find the one that matches this outcome while eliminating chronologically or conceptually incorrect distractors.
The encirclement and surrender of British forces at Yorktown is the only option that directly resulted from French naval superiority during the wartime alliance.
This confirms the correct option based on historical causality and chronology.

Key Concept

The French Alliance and the significance of naval power in the Yorktown campaign
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Topics

The Revolutionary War: Military and Diplomacy

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