In 1860 the US population was 80% rural. The Eastern states were more urbanized than the South, but the difference between the South and the Midwest in terms of urbanization was not that great. States like Indiana and Iowa and even Vermont were still overwhelmingly rural. And even in some of the more urban states, most people were a generation or so removed from the farm. Nor was anybody especially "Liberal tax and spend" by today's standards. Stop spreading fake history.
No, but Lincoln was quite "tax and spend" by the standards of that era. It was due to Lincoln's success at being a tax and spend President that further emboldened the Influence Cartel to keep ramping up spending till it is what you are referring to as "today's standards."
Our current levels of tax and spend were unimaginable to the Founders, and our system was never meant to operate this way.
Lincoln, Teddy Roosevelt, Wilson, FDR, and LBJ are mostly responsible for creating our current tax and spend insanity.