The US had a different imperialism than what the Europeans were doing. The regions that the US held control of were mostly Latin American countries and the Caribbean islands that were freed from Europeans, as well as SEA parts like Philippines, as well as Korea and the surrounding smaller countries. The US also spread towards west and even waged war with Mexico on numerous occasions.
The French outnumbered the British fleet at Yorktown that is on a peninsula, facing the York River. The Continental military had no naval power to block the British Navy from getting into the Chesapeake Bay that resulted in Washington, and his generals to come up with a solution to trap the British Army and force them to <em>surrender</em> was through the help of the French Navy who played a critical <em>role</em> to block the British Navy from accessing and entering the Bay support. The French land troops further bolstered the Continental Army but it was the Naval support that truly turned the tide and made surrender the only option for Lord Cornwallis and his British Army.
Germany acquired Alsace and Lorraine after the Franco-Prussian war.