I am searching for some information regarding the accomplishments of
small groups. By small, I am thinking a dozen, but could be as large
as 100 or more. The number is not a deal breaker, but the point is to
prove what small groups can accomplish.
Some of the questions/statements I am looking for answers include:
What historical achievements have been made by small groups? What
significant accomplishments have been made in human history due to a
few individuals working as a group? How has our daily life changed
because of the contribution/ideas of a small group of people? How did
a small group of people change the way we do things?
As you can see by my examples, I am looking for any information about
small groups accomplishing great things in American/Human History, to
showcase the potential power of small groups.
Thanks in advance

Thank you Shawn

All I do is cut off the first paragraph and move the rest of the
comment up here as an answer.

I'm glad you found the comment helpful.

Cheers
digs

When it comes to small groups making changes to history, even
shattering changes, nothing comes to mind faster that the histories of
the world's great faiths.
 
Whether Buddhism, Islam or Christianity all three began with small
groups of followers.  And all of these have grown into dominant forces
in the modern world.  Christianity's and Buddhism's original twelve
and the small band which followed Mohammed all certainly classify as
'small' groups.  Christianity has grown to dominate the West, Islam
the Near East and parts of Southeast Asia, and Buddhism dominates East
Asia and is a rapidly growing presence in Europe and North America as
well.
 
One cannot deny the importance to history of these particular small
groups.
 
I would venture to say 'small groups' have given rise to more of the
world's "isms" than has any large national, regional or ethnic effort
to date, though 'large efforts' have evolved from the principles
initially laid down by the small group of people.
 
The Magna Carta was authored by a small group.  A small group wrote
the US Declaration of Independence.
 
A small group gathered around Karl Marx to began the Communist
Movement.   Other small groups once gathered in Germany, Holland and
England and the Protestant reformation was born.  Due to this, later
in history, another small group sailed across the Atlantic and the
Nations of Canada and the United states were founded.  Additional
'small groups' setteled every other country in the Americas.
 
There was also another small group called the Wright Brothers. 
 
The nature of your question is such that the answer is almost infinite
in scope.  Most every endeavor in human history began with a small
group.  Whether that endeavor led to the Roman Empire, The former
Soviet Union, the United States, Canada, even Hussein's Bathist Party
in Iraq, they began as a small group of like minded individuals
banding together for common cause.  These small groups were often
subsets within a larger overall group, but small, none the less. 
Whether their causes be considered by those who come later as good or
bad is entirely subjective to the mind set of those who come after and
write the histories.
 
The fact that you are using a computer to ask this question brings up
a particular small group.  The members of that group were Robert
Watson, Bainbridge-Bell, Arnold Wilkins, Eddie Bowen, Joe Airey,
Savage and Muir, seven people in all.  They were the beginnings of the
UK's Telecommunications Research Establishment in the mid-1930s.  That
original group and their ideas allowed England to win the war and the
technological revolution was launched.  For more on this, I would
recommend Robert Buderi's book "The Invention that Changed the World:
How a Small Group of Radar Pioneers Won the Second World War and
Launched a Tech."   The computer you are using today is a direct line
result of their pioneering research.
 
Even the Internet you use to ask this question was a result of small
groups working together.  The early Internet standards were initially
set by small groups of people and even by single individuals.  It was
a time when neither commerce, or for that matter, even governments
paid much attention to the Internet.  The people setting the standards
worked within an Internet culture which promoted openness and the
consensus of all involved. They were made to hand their work over to
larger organisations and they tried to ensure this policy continued.
But times changed. The expansion of the Internet means new standards
are being set that involve major decisions determining the whole
direction it will move. The interests of civil society and of
developing countries need to be fought for against the attempts of
corporate organizations and the more powerful governments to dominate
Internet affairs and produce standards that entrench their domination.
 The need for dedicated small groups as well as individuals is more
important than ever in this arena to fight against the worst aspects
of these takeovers.
 
This very week, a small group of less than a hundred bishops have
changed the history of the Episcopal Church.
 
This year, what began as a small group of less than a hundred people
have forced a recall election in California.
 
Now the reason I mentioned at the beginning of this post that I didn't
think this question would have a clear cut answer is the fact that
while a small group may form the core of change or be the originator
of an idea, by the time such changes take effect, the group has grown
far beyond the figure of a hundred or so you are looking for.  With
growth comes influence and what may be started by a dozen grows to
hundreds or thousands of supporters, hangers on, activists, etc, etc.
The small becomes submerged within the larger.
 
Once again, maybe the best examples are the handful of people who
followed Buddha, Mohammed and Jesus.
 
Cheers 
digsalot

Good job by the researcher.

Hello there

Since I'm not sure whether your question has a clear cut answer, (at
least in my mind, it doesn't) I am going to post this as a comment
because there are other researchers who may approach this from a
totally different perspective and provide you with just what you
want..

When it comes to small groups making changes to history, even
shattering changes, nothing comes to mind faster that the histories of
the world's great faiths.

Whether Buddhism, Islam or Christianity all three began with small
groups of followers.  And all of these have grown into dominant forces
in the modern world.  Christianity's and Buddhism's original twelve
and the small band which followed Mohammed all certainly classify as
'small' groups.  Christianity has grown to dominate the West, Islam
the Near East and parts of Southeast Asia, and Buddhism dominates East
Asia and is a rapidly growing presence in Europe and North America as
well.

One cannot deny the importance to history of these particular small
groups.

I would venture to say 'small groups' have given rise to more of the
world's "isms" than has any large national, regional or ethnic effort
to date, though 'large efforts' have evolved from the principles
initially laid down by the small group of people.

The Magna Carta was authored by a small group.  A small group wrote
the US Declaration of Independence.

A small group gathered around Karl Marx to began the Communist
Movement.   Other small groups once gathered in Germany, Holland and
England and the Protestant reformation was born.  Due to this, later
in history, another small group sailed across the Atlantic and the
Nations of Canada and the United states were founded.  Additional
'small groups' setteled every other country in the Americas.

There was also another small group called the Wright Brothers.

The nature of your question is such that the answer is almost infinite
in scope.  Most every endeavor in human history began with a small
group.  Whether that endeavor led to the Roman Empire, The former
Soviet Union, the United States, Canada, even Hussein's Bathist Party
in Iraq, they began as a small group of like minded individuals
banding together for common cause.  These small groups were often
subsets within a larger overall group, but small, none the less. 
Whether their causes be considered by those who come later as good or
bad is entirely subjective to the mind set of those who come after and
write the histories.

The fact that you are using a computer to ask this question brings up
a particular small group.  The members of that group were Robert
Watson, Bainbridge-Bell, Arnold Wilkins, Eddie Bowen, Joe Airey,
Savage and Muir, seven people in all.  They were the beginnings of the
UK's Telecommunications Research Establishment in the mid-1930s.  That
original group and their ideas allowed England to win the war and the
technological revolution was launched.  For more on this, I would
recommend Robert Buderi's book "The Invention that Changed the World:
How a Small Group of Radar Pioneers Won the Second World War and
Launched a Tech."   The computer you are using today is a direct line
result of their pioneering research.

Even the Internet you use to ask this question was a result of small
groups working together.  The early Internet standards were initially
set by small groups of people and even by single individuals.  It was
a time when neither commerce, or for that matter, even governments
paid much attention to the Internet.  The people setting the standards
worked within an Internet culture which promoted openness and the
consensus of all involved. They were made to hand their work over to
larger organisations and they tried to ensure this policy continued.
But times changed. The expansion of the Internet means new standards
are being set that involve major decisions determining the whole
direction it will move. The interests of civil society and of
developing countries need to be fought for against the attempts of
corporate organizations and the more powerful governments to dominate
Internet affairs and produce standards that entrench their domination.
 The need for dedicated small groups as well as individuals is more
important than ever in this arena to fight against the worst aspects
of these takeovers.

This very week, a small group of less than a hundred bishops have
changed the history of the Episcopal Church.

This year, what began as a small group of less than a hundred people
have forced a recall election in California.

Now the reason I mentioned at the beginning of this post that I didn't
think this question would have a clear cut answer is the fact that
while a small group may form the core of change or be the originator
of an idea, by the time such changes take effect, the group has grown
far beyond the figure of a hundred or so you are looking for.  With
growth comes influence and what may be started by a dozen grows to
hundreds or thousands of supporters, hangers on, activists, etc, etc. 
The small becomes submerged within the larger.

Once again, maybe the best examples are the handful of people who
followed Buddha, Mohammed and Jesus.

Cheers
digsalot

Hello Digs -
Thanks for the information. I liked your answer, and I feel your
information is about as specific as you can get.

How do I get the service to pay your for your efforts?
Thanks,
Shawn