The French regained control of the colony in 1803, and shortly thereafter sold it to the United States in the Louisiana Purchase, the French had ruled over the city until 1763 and then they ceded the territory to the Spanish. As the birthplace of early jazz in the 1900s, the twentieth century brought on a new era, notably in music. New Orleans became a cultural beacon throughout the United States as jazz music swept the nation in the next few decades. After World War II, the city became a tourist destination and re