“They tried to usurp the legitimate authority of the US government, and prevented it from collecting tariff duties that were its lawful due.”
Tariff duties that disproportionately affected the Southern states. The Southern states contributed the lion’s share to the federal coffers, but the vast, vast majority of those revenues were spent up north. The South seceded because they were getting screwed economically.
If that is true then wouldn't one expect federal revenue to dry up once the rebellion began? After all no cotton was being exported, no imports were being bought by Southern consumers, so in theory no tariffs should have been collected. Yet in Fisal Year 1864 over $100 million in duties were reported by the governmenet. Where did it all come from?
And your claim that 'the vast majority were spent up north?' What do you have to support that? The federal budget in the year prior to the rebellion was about $60 million, and of that Alexander Stephens detailed that some $5 million was spent to subsidize southern postal services. So right off the bat almsot 10 percent of the budget went to the south, a not inconsiderable sum. So of the remainder what percentage was spent in the north and on what?