Peter, Paul, and Mary came into being at the dawn of John F. Kennedy’s presidency, as America entered one of its most dramatic periods of social and political change. With music being one of the great forces that brought them together, Americans united in unprecedented ways to create a more just and peaceful society. Folk music, with its ability to reach people’s hearts, became the sound track of this remarkable quest, and Peter, Paul, and Mary became standard-bearers of America’s new hopes and dreams.