The abolitionist movement was considered criminal in the South before the Civil War
That was what I was getting at.
It was considered malicious and destructive of the fabric of society, as well as theft of a man's property, i.e., other people.
It was a very effective movement. It won. Had it lost, it would have been consigned to the category of "pranks" that you have delineated. It won because it effectively undermined an authority that its adherents considered immoral, even though it was perfectly legal at the time.
Compare and contrast.
Regards--
Mary Anne