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So, let me understand the timeline correctly.

Lincoln was elected on November 4, 1860
South Carolina secedes on December 20 1960
Battle of Fort Sumter was on April 12, 1861
First Battle of Bull Run was on July 21, 1861

You make the statement that Lincoln didn’t violate the Constitution until after he was in office. So, the original statement by jeffersondem in defense of treason doesn’t hold water unless a Tardis or a DeLorean was in use. Also, as can be seen by the dates above, the first “invasion” of the South didn’t occur until over 3 months after the Confederacy started the shooting part of the war, so any claims that the South was merely defending themselves also do not hold water.

However, you are absolutely right that the Northern States ignoring the Fugitive Slave Law was one of the reasons cited by multiple states in their Articles of Secession.

A lot of these threads are getting confused (at least in my mind). So, let’s be clear what the point is. The point in this thread, I believe, is whether the South met the requirements of treason in Article III, Section 3 of the Constitution. I contend that they did meet the first requirement, which was “levying War”. This Section contains no out – it is very clear and straight-forward. Referencing the Northern States ignoring of the Fugitive Slave Law is, at best, a defense at trial. As we all know, there were no trials, as the Federal government, for whatever reason, chose not to bring anyone to trial. The mere fact that there were no trials did not mean that the South did not commit treason.