diff --git a/test/view.js b/test/view.js
index 392a50f79..5a9644c4f 100644
--- a/test/view.js
+++ b/test/view.js
@@ -1,20 +1,12 @@
 (function() {
-
-  var view;
-
-  module("Backbone.View", {
-
-    setup: function() {
-      view = new Backbone.View({
-        id        : 'test-view',
-        className : 'test-view',
-        other     : 'non-special-option'
-      });
-    }
-
-  });
+  module("Backbone.View");
 
   test("constructor", 3, function() {
+    var view = new Backbone.View({
+      id        : 'test-view',
+      className : 'test-view',
+      other     : 'non-special-option'
+    });
     equal(view.el.id, 'test-view');
     equal(view.el.className, 'test-view');
     equal(view.el.other, void 0);
@@ -29,13 +21,15 @@
     ok(result.length === +result.length);
   });
 
-  test("$el", 3, function() {
+  test("$el", function() {
     var view = new Backbone.View;
     view.setElement('<p><a><b>test</b></a></p>');
     strictEqual(view.el.nodeType, 1);
 
-    ok(view.$el instanceof Backbone.$);
-    strictEqual(view.$el[0], view.el);
+    if (Backbone.$) {
+      ok(view.$el instanceof Backbone.$);
+      strictEqual(view.$el[0], view.el);
+    }
   });
 
   test("initialize", 1, function() {
@@ -53,21 +47,21 @@
 
     var view = new Backbone.View({el: '#testElement'});
     view.increment = function(){ counter1++; };
-    view.$el.on('click', function(){ counter2++; });
+    addEventListener.call(view.el, 'click', function(){ counter2++; });
 
     var events = {'click h1': 'increment'};
 
     view.delegateEvents(events);
-    view.$('h1').trigger('click');
+    click(view.$('h1')[0]);
     equal(counter1, 1);
     equal(counter2, 1);
 
-    view.$('h1').trigger('click');
+    click(view.$('h1')[0]);
     equal(counter1, 2);
     equal(counter2, 2);
 
     view.delegateEvents(events);
-    view.$('h1').trigger('click');
+    click(view.$('h1')[0]);
     equal(counter1, 3);
     equal(counter2, 3);
   });
@@ -80,7 +74,7 @@
     view.delegate('click', function() {
       ok(true);
     });
-    view.$('h1').trigger('click');
+    click(view.$('h1')[0]);
   });
 
   test("delegateEvents allows functions for callbacks", 3, function() {
@@ -93,23 +87,31 @@
       }
     };
 
+    document.body.appendChild(view.el);
+
     view.delegateEvents(events);
-    view.$el.trigger('click');
+    click(view.el);
     equal(view.counter, 1);
 
-    view.$el.trigger('click');
+    click(view.el);
     equal(view.counter, 2);
 
     view.delegateEvents(events);
-    view.$el.trigger('click');
+    click(view.el);
     equal(view.counter, 3);
-  });
 
+    document.body.removeChild(view.el);
+  });
 
   test("delegateEvents ignore undefined methods", 0, function() {
     var view = new Backbone.View({el: '<p></p>'});
+
+    document.body.appendChild(view.el);
+
     view.delegateEvents({'click': 'undefinedMethod'});
-    view.$el.trigger('click');
+    click(view.el);
+
+    document.body.removeChild(view.el);
   });
 
   test("undelegateEvents", 6, function() {
@@ -117,63 +119,63 @@
 
     var view = new Backbone.View({el: '#testElement'});
     view.increment = function(){ counter1++; };
-    view.$el.on('click', function(){ counter2++; });
+    addEventListener.call(view.el, 'click', function(){ counter2++; });
 
     var events = {'click h1': 'increment'};
 
     view.delegateEvents(events);
-    view.$('h1').trigger('click');
+    click(view.$('h1')[0]);
     equal(counter1, 1);
     equal(counter2, 1);
 
     view.undelegateEvents();
-    view.$('h1').trigger('click');
+    click(view.$('h1')[0]);
     equal(counter1, 1);
     equal(counter2, 2);
 
     view.delegateEvents(events);
-    view.$('h1').trigger('click');
+    click(view.$('h1')[0]);
     equal(counter1, 2);
     equal(counter2, 3);
   });
 
   test("undelegate", 0, function() {
-    view = new Backbone.View({el: '#testElement'});
+    var view = new Backbone.View({el: '#testElement'});
     view.delegate('click', function() { ok(false); });
     view.delegate('click', 'h1', function() { ok(false); });
 
     view.undelegate('click');
 
-    view.$('h1').trigger('click');
-    view.$el.trigger('click');
+    click(view.$('h1')[0]);
+    click(view.el);
   });
 
   test("undelegate with passed handler", 1, function() {
-    view = new Backbone.View({el: '#testElement'});
+    var view = new Backbone.View({el: '#testElement'});
     var listener = function() { ok(false); };
     view.delegate('click', listener);
     view.delegate('click', function() { ok(true); });
     view.undelegate('click', listener);
-    view.$el.trigger('click');
+    click(view.el);
   });
 
   test("undelegate with selector", 2, function() {
-    view = new Backbone.View({el: '#testElement'});
+    var view = new Backbone.View({el: '#testElement'});
     view.delegate('click', function() { ok(true); });
     view.delegate('click', 'h1', function() { ok(false); });
     view.undelegate('click', 'h1');
-    view.$('h1').trigger('click');
-    view.$el.trigger('click');
+    click(view.$('h1')[0]);
+    click(view.el);
   });
 
   test("undelegate with handler and selector", 2, function() {
-    view = new Backbone.View({el: '#testElement'});
+    var view = new Backbone.View({el: '#testElement'});
     view.delegate('click', function() { ok(true); });
     var handler = function(){ ok(false); };
     view.delegate('click', 'h1', handler);
     view.undelegate('click', 'h1', handler);
-    view.$('h1').trigger('click');
-    view.$el.trigger('click');
+    click(view.$('h1')[0]);
+    click(view.el);
   });
 
   test("tagName can be provided as a string", 1, function() {
@@ -191,7 +193,7 @@
       }
     });
 
-    ok(new View().$el.is('p'));
+    equal(new View().el.tagName, 'P');
   });
 
   test("_ensureElement with DOM node el", 1, function() {
@@ -211,7 +213,9 @@
     View = Backbone.View.extend({
       el: "#testElement > h1"
     });
-    strictEqual(new View().el, $("#testElement > h1").get(0));
+    var children = document.getElementById('testElement').childNodes;
+    var h1 = _.findWhere(children, {nodeType: 1});
+    strictEqual(new View().el, h1);
 
     View = Backbone.View.extend({
       el: "#nonexistent"
@@ -257,10 +261,10 @@
 
   test("multiple views per element", 3, function() {
     var count = 0;
-    var $el = $('<p></p>');
+    var el = document.createElement('p');
 
     var View = Backbone.View.extend({
-      el: $el,
+      el: el,
       events: {
         click: function() {
           count++;
@@ -268,52 +272,64 @@
       }
     });
 
+    document.body.appendChild(el);
+
     var view1 = new View;
-    $el.trigger("click");
+    click(el);
     equal(1, count);
 
     var view2 = new View;
-    $el.trigger("click");
+    click(el);
     equal(3, count);
 
     view1.delegateEvents();
-    $el.trigger("click");
+    click(el);
     equal(5, count);
+
+    document.body.removeChild(el);
   });
 
-  test("custom events", 2, function() {
-    var View = Backbone.View.extend({
-      el: $('body'),
-      events: {
-        "fake$event": function() { ok(true); }
-      }
-    });
+  if (Backbone.$) {
+    test("custom events", 1, function() {
+      var View = Backbone.View.extend({
+        el: 'body',
+        events: function() {
+          return {"fake$event": "run"};
+        },
+        run: function() {
+          ok(true);
+        }
+      });
 
-    var view = new View;
-    $('body').trigger('fake$event').trigger('fake$event');
+      var view = new View;
+      Backbone.$('body').trigger('fake$event');
 
-    $('body').off('fake$event');
-    $('body').trigger('fake$event');
-  });
+      view.undelegate("fake$event");
+      Backbone.$('body').trigger('fake$event');
+    });
+  }
 
   test("#1048 - setElement uses provided object.", 2, function() {
-    var $el = $('body');
+    var el = document.body;
 
-    var view = new Backbone.View({el: $el});
-    ok(view.$el === $el);
+    var view = new Backbone.View({el: el});
+    ok(view.el === el);
 
-    view.setElement($el = $($el));
-    ok(view.$el === $el);
+    view.setElement(el = document.body);
+    ok(view.el === el);
   });
 
   test("#986 - Undelegate before changing element.", 1, function() {
-    var button1 = $('<button></button>');
-    var button2 = $('<button></button>');
+    var button1 = document.createElement('button');
+    var button2 = document.createElement('button');
+
+    document.body.appendChild(button1);
+    document.body.appendChild(button2);
 
     var View = Backbone.View.extend({
       events: {
         click: function(e) {
-          ok(view.el === e.target);
+          ok(view.el === e.target || e.srcElement);
         }
       }
     });
@@ -321,8 +337,11 @@
     var view = new View({el: button1});
     view.setElement(button2);
 
-    button1.trigger('click');
-    button2.trigger('click');
+    click(button1);
+    click(button2);
+
+    document.body.removeChild(button1);
+    document.body.removeChild(button2);
   });
 
   test("#1172 - Clone attributes object", 2, function() {
@@ -363,8 +382,23 @@
     });
 
     var view = new View;
-    ok(view.$el.is('p'));
-    ok(view.$el.has('a'));
+    ok(view.el.tagName == 'P');
+    ok(view.$('a').length != 0);
+  });
+
+  test("remove", 1, function() {
+    var view = new Backbone.View;
+    document.body.appendChild(view.el);
+
+    view.delegate('click', function() { ok(false); });
+    view.listenTo(view, 'all x', function() { ok(false); });
+
+    view.remove();
+    click(view.el);
+    view.trigger('x');
+
+    // In IE8 and below, parentNode still exists but is not document.body.
+    notEqual(view.el.parentNode, document.body);
   });
 
   test("events passed in options", 1, function() {
@@ -383,23 +417,41 @@
       }
     });
 
-    view.$('h1').trigger('click').trigger('click');
+    click(view.$('h1')[0]);
+    click(view.$('h1')[0]);
     equal(counter, 2);
   });
 
-  test("remove", 1, function() {
-    var view = new Backbone.View;
-    document.body.appendChild(view.el);
-
-    view.delegate('click', function() { ok(false); });
-    view.listenTo(view, 'all x', function() { ok(false); });
-
-    view.remove();
-    view.$el.trigger('click');
-    view.trigger('x');
-
-    // In IE8 and below, parentNode still exists but is not document.body.
-    notEqual(view.el.parentNode, document.body);
-  });
+  // Cross-browser helpers
+  var ElementProto = (typeof Element != 'undefined' && Element.prototype) || {};
+
+  var addEventListener = ElementProto.addEventListener || function(eventName, listener) {
+    return this.attachEvent('on' + eventName, listener);
+  };
+
+  function click(element) {
+    var event;
+    if (document.createEvent) {
+      event = document.createEvent('MouseEvent');
+      var args = [
+        'click', true, true,
+        // IE 10+ and Firefox require these
+        event.view, event.detail, event.screenX, event.screenY, event.clientX,
+        event.clientY, event.ctrlKey, event.altKey, event.shiftKey,
+        event.metaKey, event.button, event.relatedTarget
+      ];
+      (event.initMouseEvent || event.initEvent).apply(event, args);
+    } else {
+      event = document.createEventObject();
+      event.type = 'click';
+      event.bubbles = true;
+      event.cancelable = true;
+    }
+    if (element.dispatchEvent) {
+      element.dispatchEvent(event);
+    } else {
+      element.fireEvent(eventName, event);
+    }
+  }
 
 })();