The entire US Civil War was the asking and unambiguous answering of your question. What makes a government of any age so important is that a military rebellion

The entire US Civil War was the asking and unambiguous answering of your question. What makes a government of any age so important is that a military rebellion was attempted directly against the national government, and was brutally put down. I can't imagine any US President just standing aside, it would be a treasonous abdication of constitutional responsibility.