This dissertation examines the folk music revival movement that occurred between the late 1950s and early 1960s. Focusing on how and why urban college students, the major component of the movement, embraced traditional folk music, it argues that their commitment to folk music resulted revolved around the construction of identity embedded in the postwar socioeconomic condition. Folk music was not just a leisure activity to be consumed. It was an experience that contributed to forming their cultural identity interlocked with the conditions of life in America after World War II. This dissertation not only explores the intricacies of the folk music revival movement but also considers why well-educated children from relatively well-off families became fascinated by traditional folk music created and sung by the rural working-class people. Embracing folk music was a refreshing experience that helped them find an intense connection to the past, present, and future of America.