Use this exact date to separate ratification, implementing legislation, and operative enforcement.
The Library of Congress timeline distinguishes the 1919 ratification of the Eighteenth Amendment and the October 1919 Volstead Act veto override from the beginning of legal enforcement on January 17, 1920.
January 17, 1920 — Legal enforcement begins.
Timeline — January 17, 1920
Timeline
Verified against the complete preserved HTML page on 2026-09-01.
Capture evidence faithfully. Select one Source, record a usable locator, and preserve enough surrounding context to prevent misquotation.
Evidence
Paste the exact quote, paraphrase, statistic, definition, or source claim into Excerpt Text. Use Excerpt Type to distinguish quotation from interpretation.
Location and context
Record Locator Type, Locator Start, Locator End when needed, and Source Section. Explain the surrounding argument in Context.
Annotation
In Annotation, state why this evidence matters. Add approved Tags for retrieval and connect it to every relevant Literature Note.