It is often thought that the establishment of America's first national parties only happened during the presidency of Thomas Jefferson or Andrew Jackson. However, in examining the timeline of their developments, and by paying particular attention to the time period between 1796 and 1800, I find evidence that suggest otherwise. As such, by using the presidency of John Adams as a fulcrum, I seek to demonstrate that by the time our third president was inaugurated, political parties was already sufficiently established.