baker's most difficult goal to achieve was the ratification of the post-war amendments that, among other things, banned slavery and granted blacks the right to vote. his advocacy on the issues though managed to secure each of their ratifications, with the fourteenth amendment being the last ratified in 1869. the democrats had resigned office "en masse" when the bill was put up for a vote to deny quorum, but the republicans went ahead to approve the amendment. when the democrats took the legislature in the following election, they revoked the ratification of the amendments, but it was too late and the federal government, which was republican-dominated at the time, had already added them to the constitution.