Since this is not what happened to the South, I'm not sure why this is relevant.
You might want to ask yourself why a handful of southern states could be such an irritant to the grand Union, and why Lincoln would bother to pick a fight.
Because, as the President, it was his duty to preserve the Union and to quell rebellion. We've been over this.
Most in the North at the time were glad to see the South leave. Many in Massachusetts had advocated secession from the South many years prior .
And yet, Northerners were willing to die by the tens of thousands to preserve the Union and defeat slavery. The people in the North had the chance to kick Lincoln out of office in 1864 in favor of a pro-appeasement candidate. They decided to keep fighting.
What was the threat to the Union?
Rebellion and treason that attempted to take over the territory of the USA.
Full scale lawless insurrection triggered by those which disagreed with the outcome of the 1860 presidential election.
When Clinton was elected twice don't you believe conservatives were outraged, yet we did not stage sedition and begin bombing U.S. forts, resulting in civil war and economic chaos.