Final answer:
The GI Bill was a product of its time, reflecting the societal inequalities that the Civil Rights Movement sought to dismantle. African American veterans were often barred from reaping the full benefits, which spurred further civil rights advocacy.
Step-by-step explanation:
The GI Bill played a significant role in the Civil Rights Movement, though it also highlighted the disparities due to racial prejudice. While the bill promised benefits such as unemployment compensation, home loans, and funding for education to veterans, African-American veterans faced obstacles. Despite the lack of explicitly racist provisions within the bill, practices like restrictive covenants in housing and racial quotas in universities ensured that black veterans were often denied the full benefits. This discrimination in the application of the GI Bill benefits drove many African-American veterans to join the Civil Rights Movement to fight for equal rights and opportunities. Conversely, the education and economic uplift the GI Bill afforded white veterans created a more pronounced racial wealth and opportunity gap that the Civil Rights Movement aimed to address.