Should the election of 1796 be considered a contest between two political parties? why or why not?

No, the 1796 election should not be considered a contest between two political parties. The reasons why not are:  

1. The Constitution did not considerate political parties, stated that the second highest voted candidate would become vice president, no matter if his or her party would be different than elected President. The Constitution saw the president’s role as a conciliator who tried to bring people together despite their disagreements.

2. Each party did have an intended presidential candidate, which was Secretary of State Thomas Jefferson for the Republicans and Vice President John Adams for the Federalists. All candidates ran for president, but each party also had an intended vice president, which was Aaron Burr for the Republicans and Thomas Pinckney for the Federalists. As stated in Article Two, each elector had two votes to cast and did not have to indicate which ballot was for president nor which was for vice president.

3. President Adams had to deal not only with the opposition from Jefferson and the Republicans but also from other politicians from his own party, led by Alexander Hamilton.