“But you knew that from the beginning, didn’t you? Shay’s Rebellion, the Whiskey Rebellion, Aaron Burr. Not to mention Indian and slave uprisings.”
None of those were peaceful attempts at secession, led by the state legislative bodies, so they aren’t really relevant.
“The idea that Americans would be rising up all the time against big government if it weren’t for Lincoln, just won’t fly.”
No, not rising up, but they very well may have pursued the peaceful option of secession, which has now become an impossibility, thanks to Lincoln.
“And what was the “unconstitutional overreach” that the secessionist were resisting?”
The biggest overreach was trying to force them back into the union without their consent.
“What was it that the federal government did that made mad enough to revolt?”
There was no revolt, they seceding by legislative action. I know you really want to equate secession with rebellion, because then it’s easier for you to paint them as villains who deserved to be abused by the government, but the facts don’t back up that characterization.
People knew that at the time. There were plenty of predictions that unilateral secession would mean civil war. Davis and the other secessionist leaders were willing to risk war -- indeed, to start war -- to get what they wanted.
So you wasted whatever option of disunion may have existed on an unworthy cause and hot-headed, irresponsible leaders.