A civil right is an enforceable right or privilege, which if interfered with by another gives rise to an action for injury. Examples of civil rights are freedom of speech, press, and assembly; the right to vote; freedom from involuntary servitude; and the right to equality in public places. Discrimination occurs when the civil rights of an individual are denied or interfered with because of their membership in a particular group or class. Statutes have been enacted to prevent discrimination based on race, sex, religion, age, previous condition of servitude, physical limitation, national origin, and in some instances sexual preference. Civil rights attorneys handle cases involving the rights of individuals to be free from unequal treatment (or discrimination) based on legally-protected characteristics such as race, gender, disability, national origin, age, sexual orientation, and religion. Civil rights cases can arise in a number of settings -- including employment, housing, lending, and education.
Sheridan is a village in Montcalm County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 705 at the 2000 census. The village is located at the corners of four townships and incorporates land from each: Evergreen Township to the northeast, Bushnell Township to the southeast, Fairplain Township to the southwest, and Sidney Township to the northwest. In 1851, Louis Lovell recorded an entry for land here and John W. Winsor built the first business, a sawmill. A shingle-mill owner, Erastus P. Brown, became the first postmaster here on October 14, 1864. It was a station on the Toledo, Saginaw and Muskegon Railway. Sheridan incorporated as a village in 1877 and was named for Union Civil War General Philip Sheridan.