idiom meaning

[TKK]

Hello,

Would you explain the meaning of the word described in capital letters in the following
sentence? I looked up “get upon” in my dictionary, but couldn’t find the right word.

"Once LET THE BLACK MAN GET UPON HIS PERSON THE BRASS LETTERS, US, let him
get an eagle on his button and a musket on his shoulder and bullets in his pockets and
there is no power on earth which can deny that he has earned the right to citizenship
in the united states."

Thanks,

[Pete]

Hello,

Would you explain the meaning of the word described in capital letters in the following
sentence? I looked up “get upon” in my dictionary, but couldn’t find the right word.

"Once LET THE BLACK MAN GET UPON HIS PERSON THE BRASS LETTERS, US, let him
get an eagle on his button and a musket on his shoulder and bullets in his pockets and
there is no power on earth which can deny that he has earned the right to citizenship
in the united states."

Thanks,
"His person" is just a "fancy" way of saying "himself". Something that is "upon his person" is something that he is wearing. To "get something upon his person" means to begin to wear something.

Thus the meaning of the capitalized letters is:
- Once black people are allowed to wear the brass insignia, "US", …
("US" would be the brass letters standing for "United States".)