[Aurelius]

You seem confused on several points. Because they had seceded, which was understood to always be an option when the Constitution was ratified, the states of the Confederacy were no longer subject to the U.S. Constitution.

The South did not "rush to declare war to spread slavery". The war was forced on them by Lincoln who did not wish to see the revenue from tariffs on the South lost to the furtherance of his mercantilist schemes.

[jlogajan]

The South did not "rush to declare war to spread slavery". The war was forced on them by Lincoln

Many southern states had seceded before Lincoln was even sworn into office. In their articles of secession, they ranted about protecting slavery.