The article examines the political and social conditions as well as the historical background of how German carp were anthropomorphized as German immigrants in the United States. In doing so, it first reviews the literatures of critical media studies and propaganda studies. Second, it traces the historical evolution of German carp dispute between the 1880s and 1910s, and it points out that the fish once considered as valuable were devalued by the early 1910s. Third, it shows how German-Americans and German permanent residents were treated in the United States during World War One. Fourth, it analyzes newspaper coverage of War on German Carp, and it argues the media representations of German carp were used to justify the U.S. war entry.
fishery disputes
German carp
German immigrants
nature conservation
the United States of America
World War One