The reaction of the continental states to the American Revolution is noteworthy. In allying themselves with the insurgent colonies, both France and Spain welcomed the opportunity to even their odds with their archenemy, Britain. It should be noted, then, that neither France nor Spain or any other state in Europe saw the events in North America as revolutionary. The Declaration of Independence in 1776 was merely assumed as a crack in the politics of the British Empire, not a social upheaval of subjects against their kings; the role of the American bourgeoisie was neglected. Ratifying its constitution by 1791, the United States of America was declared as a federal republic, announcing a new type of sovereignty based upon the people rather than an absolute monarch. In the sight of cautious philosophers like Immanuel Kant, this was a promising achievement of humanity to determine his/her own will. In the sight of Europe’s bureaucratic monarchies, it was merely a welcomed blow to Britain’s might.