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Originally Posted by Trolly McTrollson
What else would it mean? You really need to show your work here. Everything I'm reading on this suggests that the framers wanted a very narrow definition treason.
Well, since the first people executed for treason were part of the Whiskey Rebellion in 1794 - not a declared war - it seems that the framers didn't mean to limit the clause to declared wars.
In perhaps the most famous Supreme Court ruling on treason - the Aaron Burr Conspiracy - charges were dismissed because not because there was no declared war, but because the conspirators didn't actually "levy war", only thought about it. One would think that if a US declaration of war was necessary it would have been not only mentioned, it would have been the entire ruling.