Before the first shots were fired at Fort Sumter, America tried a different tactic: compromise. From the Missouri Compromise to the Compromise of 1850, lawmakers desperately tried to keep the Union together: slavery in, slavery out, states’ rights, federal power, a little sugar on top, and a dash of political theater. Spoiler: it didn’t work.

Comedians Robert Bacon and Mike Kauffman break down the convoluted, often ridiculous political deals that tried—and failed—to prevent civil war. With standoffs, backroom negotiations, and compromises so complicated they’d make a modern lawyer weep, this episode reveals how human stubbornness and bad politics set the stage for the deadliest conflict in U.S. history.It’s history, hilarity, and heartbreak—all rolled into one Mistakes Were Made special.

Keywords:
American Civil War podcast, Missouri Compromise, Compromise of 1850, slavery history podcast, Mistakes Were Made podcast, comedy history podcast, U.S. history funny, historical compromises, causes of Civil War, pre-Civil War history, weird history podcast.